


Cat in the House

by Chryso



Series: Shifter [1]
Category: Finder no Hyouteki | Finder Series
Genre: Cat Akihito, Cat Ears, Cat/Human Hybrids, Comedy, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff, M/M, Neko Akihito, Protective Asami Ryuichi, SO MUCH FLUFF, Smut, but also cute and happy things, idiot cat boy, sad things
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:22:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 90
Words: 138,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24417334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chryso/pseuds/Chryso
Summary: Short vignette's about Neko Akihito.I.E the story where Akihito is a dumb cat boy and Asami is his owner trying to deal with his cat's antics, and also a lot of fluff
Relationships: Asami Ryuichi/Takaba Akihito
Series: Shifter [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2088990
Comments: 1756
Kudos: 2320





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone. 
> 
> Some of you may have heard of the BL webtoons called Wolf in the House, this is loosely (and i mean loosely) based on that series. Except i am using a cat instead. Its a funny cute action pack and i recommend reading it. but you don't have to have read it to understand what's happening in this fic. 
> 
> these are mini-stories that i'll post every so often. Sometimes i might post like 5 of them in a day. and maybe sometimes i wont post anything for a week. So well see! Some will be longer than others, and some will be very short.  
> Enjoy!

“What can I say, so you don’t retire, Kiko. I am a man of my word, you know.”

27-years-old Asami was only playfully teasing, although a part of him also did really want Kiko to stay at Sion Corporation.

It was true Kiko was nearing that age where retirement might be on your mind. But, still, she easily had another ten years in her before retirement would be the only recourse. Asami had thought it rather odd that she was retiring so early, a woman without children or family. Her husband had died some time ago. So what was her reasoning for wanting to retire so early?

He couldn’t blame her, though, for wanting to escape the pressure and enjoy life. She had reached high-heights at Sion, becoming one of the companies first female executives. She was an immensely talented woman, and one of the few people Asami could actually call a friend.

He always appreciated her candor. She wasn’t a sycophant like some of the others, who still worked at Sion. She was always sharp in meetings and always barked back at her male counterparts, who believed she didn’t deserve a seat at the table.

It was bittersweet to see her leaving, but he was sure he would see her around atClub Sion events or at some other social functions they both attended. She was moving to the quieter coastal city in the Kanagawa district, just outside of Toyko- so not too far. 

Here they were at her retirement party, which Asami himself had hosted at Club Sion—celebrating her years of dedicated service. To, of course, the legitimate side of his business.

She was a clever one, so she probably knew more than she ever let on about his underworld dealings. But she had proved to be an extremely valuable asset to the legitimate side of Sion Corporation.

For her years of service, she was getting a hearty stipend, stock options, and Asami had personally picked out a Hermes watch as a parting gift for her.

He called everyone at the party to attention, for a toast in honor of Kiko.

He raised his champagne flute.

“To Takaba Kiko!” He said and gave her a slight bow as they toasted one last time.

She laughed cheerfully, “Oh, this has been lovely.. Thank you, thank you.”

After the toast, she approached Asami. “Oh, Thank you very much, Asami, the party’s been lovely. I couldn’t have asked for a better send-off. But I am afraid I have to get back home now..”

“Oh?” Asami said, surprised she was planning on leaving so early.

“Yes…I have to feed my cat.” She said all too casually.


	2. Chapter 2

At the time, Asami had thought it a rather an odd thing to say. I mean.. couldn’t someone else feed her cat.

She mentioned something about the cat being in its delinquency phase.

Whatever that meant? Was the cat knocking down vases or something?

In any case, they would catch up every so often over the years. Kiko always sent Asami a box of his favorite brandy for holidays, and he always sent her a box of her favorite Scottish gin for her gin martini’s she was always drinking.

She’d come to Toyko every so often, and on one such time, they met up for a luncheon.

“Your turning 30 this year! I can’t believe it!” She spoke, “I’ll try to make it to the birthday party, dear.”

Asami responded with a soft smile and a nod of acknowledgment, as she continued talking.

“You're getting up there, aren’t you, Asami” She teased the much younger man’s age, and she raised a playful eyebrow. “Why not settle down? Huh? From what I understand, there's a quite a long cue forming of admirers."

Asami rolled his eyes teasingly, “Alright, alright. Have you had your fun? You know I don’t like talking about such intimate affairs…”

“Hahaha ‘intimate affairs’- you sound so severe, Asami. It’s alright, y’know, you can call it your 'love life'. That's what most people do.”

Asami scoffed and smiled. “May I remind you. I was your boss once.”

“Oh, but not anymore!”

“What brings you to Tokyo, anyways?” Asami asked, trying to divert the attention away from his personal life.

“Oh. Uh. I have an appointment with a vet here.” The question seemed to catch the older woman off-guard, although she quickly recovered.

“A vet?” He questioned. “Don’t they have veterinarians in Kanagawa?”

She shrugged. “This is a _particular_ kind of vet.”

“For your…cat?” He raised an eyebrow.

She beamed an elated smile, “Ah-Yes. For my little Akihito, I’d do anything for him. He’s still just a kitten. He’s the cutest little thing, Asami. I feel 20 years younger when I am with him. I’ll have to send you some photos of him one day….I think you’d love him.”


	3. Chapter 3

A few months later, Asami saw Kiko at his 30th birthday party, which he was hosting at Club Sion.

Outwardly she appeared as healthy as ever, but Asami could sense that something was off about her. So as the party dwindled down he took it as an opportunity to talk with her.

“Is everything all right, Kiko?” He asked as they sat in one of the private booths, his eyes spoke of his concern.

She darted her eyes away, avoiding eye-contact. Not a good sign. She gave him a weary smile, “You know me too well, Asami.”

There was a pause, as she seemed to be considering her words carefully and reluctant to be honest. She looked around as to be careful they weren’t being heard, but there was only Kirishima who was nearby, and Kiko trusted Kirishima as much as she trusted Asami.

“I didn’t want to do this on your birthday. It seemed in ill-taste to talk business. But… well..” She paused again and looked more like she was considering her words carefully, but she signed and began again. “Asami. I-I think I need- no, I mean- I would like… a gun.”

To that, Asami’s eyes widen a bit in surprise. Kiko was a woman in her 60s now, one who had never wielded a gun before. What need would she have for one?

“I know you’re the man to ask for such things.” She continued.

“Why do you need one? Are you in some kind of danger, Kiko?” He asked firmly. He kept his golden-eyes trained on her, attempting to read her.

“Do you ask all your clients why they need a gun?” She asked.

It was a valid question. In the past, Asami never needed to know the details, the how, and the why wasn't necessary information for him. But..

“Kiko. You’re not one of my clients. I can help if you’re in some kind of trouble.”

He was worried. Kiko was still a good friend, a loyal friend. And loyal friends were afforded protection. If that's what she needed, yet she was acting unusually secretive.

“I-Its nothing like that. It’s just a precaution.” She leaned in closer. “Really, Ryuichi, you know I would come to you if I was really in trouble. I-I don’t intend to use it. I am just…just protecting something dear to me, is all.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aki-cat and Asami will be meeting soon I promise!

Asami did as she wished and gave her a handgun, along with a few boxes of ammunition, even though it did make him feel a bit uneasy.

He was concerned because she was clearly hiding something, but it was perhaps not his right to pry into the life of a retired employee. 

He did anyways. But found nothing out of the ordinary. Kiko's finances weren’t drastically different, although she sure did order a lot of fresh fish. Nor was there anything else on the surface that seemed to have changed.

Kiko appeared only to be an elder lady living in an isolated coastal village alone… well, not alone. She did have a cat- Asami had almost forgotten about that. That detail seemed unimportant, though.

She had said she was “protecting something”, not a who or a what?

It made no sense. The more Asami dug, the more strange it seemed. Especially since he had learned from some sources in her small village that she rarely ever left her complex, nor did she have guest over.

He decided to leave it be. Maybe she was only afraid of living alone in a big house like that, and the gun made her feel like she could defend herself.

A few months later, he heard that she had moved away from Kanagawa to Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan. A place which is known for its ski-resorts and hot springs. But definitely the one place in Japan, that was as good for one thing only-dropping off the face of the map.

So she was going into hiding…although the reason was still unclear. She still sent her box of brandy every year as if nothing had changed. She sent letters every so often, and Asami always replied promptly.

He sometimes would ask if she needed assistance. He’d remind her that she could trust him, that he only wanted to look after her. She'd respond with a, “Not to worry,” or “It won’t make any sense.” And one time, she had even replied by saying, “You’ll think I’ve gone batty.” Which was particularly confusing to Asami.

But he didn’t have time too worry to much about her, he had claiming Japan’s underworld to contend with, and if she wanted to have a few secrets then let her have them.

A few years passed in a blink of an eye, Kiko missed three birthday parties and hadn’t been in Toyko in ages. Until one day, she arrived out of the blue. She had contacted Kirishima to set up a meet. They met for dinner at one of their old favorite spots.

She looked…. frail. Not at all, like her usual self.Asami pretended not to notice the cough she was toting.

She may have looked frail, but she was as witty as ever. They enjoyed some gin martini's- her favorite. And she beamed happily, as Asami caught her up on the last few years of gossip, and things they hadn’t discussed in their letters. 

“How is living in Hokkaido?” He finally asked.

“It's damn cold in the winter.” She said jokingly. “Sometimes, it can be rather depressing. But we make the most of it.”

“We?” he said raising an eyebrow.

“Why, yes. Akihito and I, he loves playing in the snow. I have to wrap him all up, though, and he hates that. I think he misses summers in Kanagawa.”

People don’t usually talk about their cats like that. But Asami was letting it slid, perhaps age was getting the best of her, and she was becoming a dottie older woman, with only her cat to keep her company.

“We're here in Tokyo for some business, Akihito has to go to the vet, and I have to make some arrangements with my lawyer.….I am also..going to see a doctor while I am here.”

Asami perked up at that news, “Is everything alright?” He didn’t want to pry, but she was the one who had opened up about it.

“Well, I hope so.” She said sarcastically. But then she turned her head and cast her eyes down for a moment. “There’s just running a few tests is all.”

He nodded in acknowledgment.

“So. You’re still single, are you Ryuichi.” She said teasingly, trying to change the subject, away from her health.

He smiled. “Back to your old tricks. Trying to marry me off or something.”

“Haha no. No, I would never. It’s not as if I have any candidates lined up. But, I’ve been thinking about it…I think you should hold off until you find the right one… I think you deserve at least that.”


	5. Chapter 5

He heard nothing else from Kiko for a while, and for a time, her letters appeared all very normal.

Until one February day, Asami received a large letter from her. It’s content. Rather cryptic. But she sounded rather frantic, it read:

Dear old friend,

I am sorry that I am likely going to alarm you with this letter, but I am afraid I am out of options now.

I wish I could explain more, but I can’t tell you everything over a letter, as I am afraid of who else may be watching.

Things have gone south for me, faster than I anticipated.

I wish for many things now. But most importantly, I wish I had more time.

Time to explain. Especially time to explain everything to you, because I am sure you will have many many questions. It’s not the kind of thing that can be easily explained. You must see for yourself, and maybe then you will understand.

I wish I had told you everything sooner, as that might have solved many things. You know what they say- it takes a village! But I didn’t have the foresight.

I feel now like such a fool. I acted so selfishly and without thought for so long because I wanted to keep it for myself. I thought I could, all on my own.

But now, my carelessness and denials have put what I love most in the lurch, and I can’t have that.

I am sick, and I am not sure how long I have. I will simply give you the abridged version. I need you to look after Akihito when I am gone.

I never wanted to lay this responsibility on your feet, but I believe now you are the only person in the world who can possibly do this. He is a trouble maker, and I apologize in advance for that. He is somewhat naive about the world, and I worry that I have coddled him too much.

But nonetheless, he is a very _special_ cat.

Asami. I know you are a busy man. But I beg of you. Please come to Hokkaido as soon as this letter arrives. Perhaps then there will be enough time to explain everything.

I hope to see you soon.

With lots of love,

Takaba Kiko.

Asami stared at the letter for a long time. He rubbed his chin, trying to understand all her cryptic words.

Although, he was writing it off as the words of a dying woman, who was maybe not of her right mind.

He stands up from his desks and walks out of his office. Kirishima’s stood when he exited. The secretary's desk was right outside of Asami's office, and he places the letter in Kirishima’s hand for him to read.

He gives him a moment to read its contents and then says, “Get the jet ready and get an overnight bag. We leave tonight.”

He turns on his heel and is about to walk back into his office when Kirishima calls out;

“Sir, we can’t! T-there's a severe blizzard over Hokkaido right now, that's blocking all travel. Even the train rails have been shut down. It’s been all over the news today.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The blizzard wasn't to delay there meeting only for other reasons.
> 
> Also just wanted to say thanks for all the positive responses, comments and kudos, i've gotten! 
> 
> Hope you guys are enjoying it as much as I am writing it. (so much less to edit!)

They missed a day and a half, due to the blizzard. Kirishima and Suoh traveled with Asami. They would go as soon as the storm was clear, which had them leaving Toyko at 3 AM. 

The flight only took an hour and a half, and when they arrived in Hokkaido, they had to drive two hours to Kiko’s complex near the base of Mount Yotei. 

The roads were still treacherous after the storm. So they drove cars with All-wheel drive and snow tires. They pulled up to the house in the early morning hours when it was still dark.

Asami was the first to get out of the car, donning his usual three-piece suit and acamel-colored wool overcoat and wearing some black leather gloves. Suoh and Kirishima waited in the car.

He walked to the door and rang the bell. There were no cars in the driveway, and there was nothing but silence. Asami peered in through the window by the door and saw nothing.

He went to go knock but found the large oak doors of the modern villa were actually unlocked. He looked back at Suoh and Kirishima, motioning that he was entering.

“Kiko” he called as he stepped through the doors. The house was warm inside, but completely quiet and dark without many lights on. “Kiko?” He called again louder this time.

He heard a pitter-patter in the distance, like someone rushing up a flight of stairs.

If it was anyone else, they might have found the entire situation, perhaps a little hair-raising. The villa was in the middle of nowhere, with its long hallways, minimalist design, and its silent corridors. The strange noise alerted Asami that someone else was here- It was a little eerie in the early morning hours.

Although to our hardened crime lord, it hardly fazed him. He followed the noise until he found the set of stairs leading to the second floor. There was a light on at the top of the stairs.

“Kiko,” he tried again, calling up the stairs. “It’s me! Hello, is anyone home?”

He walked up the steps, which lead to a hallway with a few doors. A blur goes by, and into one of the rooms, the door silently closes behind it. Asami wasn’t sure what he had seen, but he calls out again

“Hello? Is someone there? I am a friend of Kiko’s?”

Asami was a logical, reasonable man. Not prone to think about things like ghosts or monsters. His mind was only thinking that someone- someone like a live-in nurse, or a groundskeeper, perhaps thought he was an intruder or something.He had arriving very early in the morning, after all.

The sun was just now cracking through the trees and suddenly filling the quiet villa with a blaze of light. A large floor to ceiling window by the top of the staircase brightened the whole hallways with a beam of sun light. Just as Asami had reached the door, which the blur had just entered, and was slowly pushing it open.

“Hello? Kiko?”

He stepped in, and his eyes caught on to something, and he quickly turned to look.

And Golden-eyes met hazel ones.


	7. Chapter 7

The emerald hazel eyes belonged to a cream-colored, doll-faced fluffy kitten.

Asami was very taken aback by to see the cat, who was sitting patiently on the edge on the bed, just below eye-level. He was expecting to find a person, he shifted his head back and forth but found no one else.

The cat meowed loudly, almost angrily, at him from its seat.

Asami turned his attention back on the cat. He was satisfied with the explanation, that all he had heard and seen was due to a cat puttering around the villa. He thought nothing more about it as he examined the cat in front of him.

It was a long-haired cat with almost milky, creamy colored fur. It had a thin red ribbon loosely tied in a bow around its neck.

Even for our impassive crime lord- that cat was pretty darn cute.

“You must be Akihito.” He said off-handishly, and he outstretched a hand to the cat and scratched the side of its head below its fluffy ears.

The cat meowed softer this time, almost in response to its name being called.

The fur was impossibly soft and fluffy, like a puffy cloud. The cat arched into the petting, twisting his head into Asami’s hand and purring.

“Wheres Kiko?” He had said the rhetorical question out loud rather absentmindedly. As he was still looking for the older woman.

But, as soon as he said it, the cat sat up and pounced down from the bed. He slipped between Asami legs and meowed again, brushing his long bushy tail against the man's legs.

The little cat slipped out of the room and into the hallway, Asami looking at it as it left. Where was it going, he wondered? It was almost as if he understood? B-But that's impossible…

He heard the cat meow out in the hallway, and he stepped out of the room. The cat had maneuvered further down the hallway and was standing there turned towards Asami, meowing again. Was it… waiting for him? As if it wanted him to follow. 

He did just that and followed it down the hallway. The cat walked through a door on the far end of the hallway, which was slightly ajar. While Asami followed a few feet behind.

When he pushed aside the door he, walked into a room that was clearly the master bedroom. Except it looked more like a hospital room. A hospital like bed was in the center of the room, although it looked much nicer and larger than a hospital bed. There was an IV drip right next to it and their Kiko was laying on the bed as if she was asleep.

Although Asami knew better.

The tiny fluffy cream cat had jumped up on the bed and was standing right on top of her chest. The cat used his paws to kneed at her, as if to wake her up.

But she would never wake.    
  


* * *

in case you haven’t seen this wonderful drawing by Ayano- it’s exactly how I picture Aki-cat (Asami looks great too)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 😭😭
> 
> Next chapter bout to be real sad


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so since we finally have met Akihito I have decided to share what the rules are, to make it clear.
> 
> Akihito is a cat during the day and at sundown, he turns in to a boy, with cat ears and a tail. I also wanted to keep Akihito as a cat-boy instead of a regular boy that turns into a cat. 
> 
> Although i am thinking about down the line (we are nowhere near, so don't even think about it really) He will be able to fully transform into a boy without cat tail and ears, and not just during the sunset and sunrise period. 
> 
> but for now. he is more cat than a person. he is still a kitten.

Winters were harsh in Hokkaido, but at least it was always warm inside Grandma Takaba’s villa. The gas fireplace would get left on all day and all night during big storms like this.

Those days were Akihito’s favorite. The cream-colored kitten would curl next to the fireplace and nap. When he woke, he’d sit by the large floor to ceiling windows and watch the snowfall. He would get on his hind-legs and balance on the glass as if he could touch the snowflakes himself.

Nurse Sana came the day the snow started falling. She said there was a storm brewing, and the roads might be bad. Grandma was a little upset by the news. She said she was expecting a visitor.

But all Akihito could hear or think about was that a storm meant two things. The fireplace and hot cocoa. The two had always enjoyed those two things during blizzards.

Akihito always liked Nurse Sana. She’d stay much of the day and let Akihito sit on her lap, and she’d rubbed his belly and play with him.

“He’s such a well behaved cat and so smart too,” Sana said, she was always heaping her praises on Akihito.

Grandma laughed, but it turned into a cough, once she recovered she gave a brassy smile and teased; “That's what he wants you to think…isn’t that right, Akihito!”

Sana asked later if she should stay in the house. Something about being worried about the roads making it hard for her to get here for a few days. But Grandma was insistent that she return home to her family.

When she left, though, she forgot to turn on the fireplace and make the hot cocoa for two. Akihito pouted. Grandma couldn’t play as much as she used to. It was one thing not to be able to go out in the snow with her anymore, or miss summers in Kanagawa, but now no fireplace, Or hot cocoa! 

Unprecedented!

He couldn’t complain until after the sun went down, and once it did, he scampered into Grandma’s room.

He plopped himself down right next to her, as he always did. In nothing but his underwear, as he had shifted and then thrown on a pair of underwear.

“Graannddmmaa,” He said, elongating every syllable.

“There’s no coco!” He protested, his little cheeks puffed, and one of his fluffy ears turned to the side in his annoyance.

Grandma turned her head on her pillow. She looked tired. But she patted his head lovingly.

“Akihito,” she started, her voice low, “You’re a big boy now, you’ll have to learn to do things without Grandma.”


	9. Chapter 9

Making hot cocoa as Grandma had suggested, or turning on the fireplace, was far too scary a task for him to do himself.

The snow had built up a lot outside, it was a proper snowstorm, and he was missing quality fireplace time and quality hot cocoa time. But he guessed he’d have to wait until tomorrow for cocoa.

So instead, he found himself drifting off to sleep, next to grandma, like he always did. He scrunched up next to her so that his head was right next to her shoulder.

The next morning he stretched in bed, in his cat form. Grandma was still asleep. He jumped out of the bed and waltz downstairs to see how the storm was doing. He spent a few hours idling up the window, but it was not the same without the warmth of the fireplace. Eventually, he heard his stomach growling and wondered if it was breakfast time.

He pranced back up the stairs, wondering when he could eat. He was expecting Grandma to be awake, she would typically be reading in her bed, or she’d be watching that moving box. But when he got upstairs, she was still asleep.

Odd. Akihito nudged her a few times. But she still slept.

He went back downstairs and sat by the entrance. Maybe Nurse Sana, or the groundskeeper who sometimes came in to check on them, would come and feed him.

He waited and waited. The day ticked on, and the snow built up outside, but no one came.

The rest of the day went by fairly quickly. He could drink from the water container, which he could get himself. But he couldn’t get food. It had past lunch and dinner time. And every time he sauntered on up to grandma’, she would still be asleep.

He would crawl on top of her and lick her face. But she wouldn't even stir.

When the sun went down, he transformed, and he puttered into Grandma’s room and lay down next to her. He was REAL hungry now.

“Graannddmmaa,” He said, and nudged her. He was really pouting now, more than before, and he made a little whimpering sound when she did not stir. “Grandma!” He tried again louder. But she did not move.

She must have been very sleepy! He thought. Before he left, he put a few blankets on top of her, since she had felt a little cold.

He spent the whole night wandering around the villa, he took a nap next to grandma, and then sauntered around downstairs.

That's when he heard the car, it was still dark outside, and the big black SUV pulled into the driveway. Akihito watched from a window. He didn’t recognize the car, nor the tall man with dark hair that stepped out. He heard the doorbell rang, but he didn’t move.

This was bad. Akihito thought. Grandma had warned him about strangers!

She had told him to be extra vigilant, especially when he was not in his cat form. And this stranger was coming right into the house. Akihito was very scared.

What was it that grandma had told him- don’t get seen in your human form.

He panicked. With his heart racing, he leaped up the steps, two at a time and ran into grandma’s room.

He nudged on grandma, “Grandma! Someones here! Grandma!! What do I do?!”

But, grandma was not responding, and now he heard steps at the bottom of the stairs. He quickly darted into the hallway and into his room.

But the steps were only getting closer and closer. Should he hide? Should he run? He was too frozen stiff to do either. All he could do was shut his eyes tightly.

When he opened them, he was a cat again, and golden-eyes were looking at him.

“You must be Akihito,” a cool baritone voice said to him.


	10. Chapter 10

“Let's call the authorities here, they can collect Kiko,” Asami said as he let Kirishima and Suoh come inside.

He had covered Kiko with a blanket, and then came back downstairs and told Kirishima and Suoh about Kiko’s passing. Time of death was probably yesterday, and it looked like she went peacefully in her sleep.

As the three men stepped inside, Asami notices the little cream cat hiding behind the railings on the stairs, but still curiously staring at the three men that entered the house. “And let's find some food for the cat, I bet he’s hungry.”

Kirishima was already on the phone with someone, and he turned to go into another room. The cat had seemingly heard the word food and came jogging down the steps where Suoh was moving some things inside. The cat stops right in front of Suoh and Asami, ears perked, and bright eyes inattentiveness.

Suoh, although a large burly man, absolutely delights at the sweet little cat and moves towards the kitchen to take up the task of feeding the kitty. But soon, he can’t find any bags of cat food, one might expect to find. He also notices there are child safety locks on the fridge and on the pantry. Eventually, he finds some pre-made bowls of food that are labeled for Akihito.

The bowls have grounded chicken breast in it, and sardines a small portion of rice, it looks suspiciously delicious. Suoh was slightly surprised, for he thought that the cat probably ate better than most humans.

The cat meows rather angrily at him, probably for taking to long. The cat reaches up on his hind legs and latches on to Suoh’s leg, trying to reach for the food.

“Alright, Alright, it’s coming,” Suoh says as he places the food in front of the cat, who scarfs it all down very quickly.

Asami walks in, “Suoh, I am going to look around the house. Could you do a permitter check? Somethings… not right.”

“What do you mean, sir?” Suoh says guardedly. He knew his boss had a way of sensing danger, like a six sense. If Asami felt something was off, then Suoh trusted his instinct.

“I don’t know......there’s a room upstairs- someones been living in recently. It's filled with clothes…and when I first came in- It’s like there’s someone else here.” He said as he rubbed his chin.

“There is a lot of food in the fridge, too. More than what's necessary for an older lady living by herself.” Suoh responds. “I’ll do the permitter check and look for any signs.” The burly man turns to leaves the kitchen.

Kirishima walks in after him, “Sir, I’ve made a call to the local village authorities. They should be up here soon.” He sees his boss deep in thought, and he speaks up again, “Do you think Kiko would have left you something behind…like another letter or something, to explain.”

“I’ve looked around, but I don’t see anything. Although, there's a safe in her bedroom…” Asami trails off.

“We can send someone up to crack it open, but it could take a day..”

“That's fine…and Kirishima, let’s organize a funeral service for her. She might have made plans to be buried in Tokyo, so go talk to her lawyer to see about what arrangements she made. She could have left something with him"


	11. Chapter 11

A few hours passed, the local authorities came and carted Kiko's body away.

Suoh had done a thorough search of the house, the guest house, and the surrounding area and came up with nothing about the little extra house guest, Asami had theorized.

They all had to give statements to an officer, and during it, Nurse Sana arrived at the house.

“I can’t believe she’s gone. She seemed okay the last I saw her. I-I couldn’t come because of the roads y’know, I tried calling a few times, but I thought the blizzard was maybe making it hard..”

Kirishima was handing the women a cup of tea as they sat in one of the villas sitting room. They had turned on the gas fireplace, and the cream-colored cat had taken up a position right in front of it. He lay on his back and was letting nurse Sana rub his belly, which was now nicely filled.

“Sana, do you know if she left anything behind that she was planning on giving me? She sent me a letter. She told me she had something to tell me.” Asami spoke up. He was leaning casually against the door frame, arms crossed.

Sana nodded a no. “She only said she was expecting visitors.. I am very sorry for your loss, she..she was an amazing woman.”

Asami gave a faint smile and straightened himself out. “I have another question… was she.. living with someone? There are clothes upstairs in one of the guest rooms.”

She gave an awkward smile, “Um. Well, I loved working with her but she…she definitely had her secrets. Honestly, the ladies back in the town loved gossiping.”

“What would they say,” Asami perked up

“Oh, you know… that she had a young man or something like that..she was very private. I-I didn’t judge. I think that's why she liked me, 'cause I didn’t ask questions. I did housework for her, her laundry. The men's clothing were always mixed in with her stuff. I’d make sure the refrigerator was fully stocked, filled with things that I knew for a fact that she didn’t eat. Or things like she’d ask me to make hot cocoa for two before I’d leave for the day. Things like that. I didn’t want to pry. But I never saw anyone… she had very specific rules.”

“Rules?” Asami asked, listening attentively.

Nobody had noticed that the little cream cat had perked up at the mention of Hot Cocoa, they were all to focused on Sana.

“She was very particular about the hours we worked. She never said anything exactly, but you notice when you’ve worked for her for a long time. From sunrise to sunset were our hours, and anything else was off-limits. It made it difficult during the winter when the sun starts to set at around 4 pm. But she was very persistent about it.”

She paused as if hesitating to continue. “The nurse that worked before me…she lived in the guest house across the way, for a short period. One night, she saw a light on inside the main house. She thought it was a burglar or something, and rushed over to go check. Kiko found her and was furious- she fired her. That's how particular her rules where.”

Asami just hummed in response. A curious bit of information.


	12. Chapter 12

Later, in the afternoon, when Sana and everyone had left. Kirishima walked in on Asami, enjoying a smoke in the living room. The cream-colored cat was still napping by the fireplace.

“Kirishima, there you are. There's something Sana said earlier that struck me. The gossip about Kiko having some young lover. Kiko said something in her letter that was bothering me. She said.. “it takes a village”… well, the saying is it takes a village… to raise a child.” He stopped and looked at Kirishima.

“What if.. what it if wasn’t some young lad she was seeing. What if it was her son. It might explain the secrecy. She wanted me to look after Akihito…” He stops to look at the little kitten who had rolled over and was looking at Asami upside-down

"but maybe she didn’t mean Akihito the cat. I-I don’t know, maybe she was… confusing them in her letter.” He continued.

He had thought about it all afternoon, why would Kiko be so adamant about him looking after a cat. And not just looking after, she had even gone as far as to say, “protect Akihito” It made no sense.

But it would make sense if it were something like Kiko’s son, age-wise, it would have made sense. Something like an illegitimate child would explain her secrecy. And explain, who it was that she said she loved and wanted Asami to protect.

It still didn’t explain everything. She had said she would explain, but more than to just explain- she wanted Asami to _see_. See what?

He realized Kirishima was looking at him as if he wanted to say something, so he nodded for him to talk.

“Sir… I just got off the phone with Kiko’s lawyer. There is indeed something for you that she left with her lawyer—a sealed envelope. We have to go to his office in Tokyo to pick it up, as it is in her safety deposit box. But.. there's something else. He also told me you're the sole beneficiary of her will.”

“What?” He said, his brow furrowed.

“She donated a large portion of her estate to charity- uh a cat rescue charity. But the rest of her considerable fortune she.. left to you. Including this house, and the one in Kanagawa. But there’s was a stipulation attached. She asked that you look after Akihito - Akihito, the cat, for the rest of its natural-born life.”

Asami frowned and shook his head in disbelief. “Or maybe she had just gone a little senile…”


	13. Chapter 13

Kirishima and Suoh moved into the guest house across the way, since it was decided they would stay in Hokkaido until the funeral.

The sealed note would have to wait until they got back from Tokyo. Since Kiko's lawyer was insisting that it couldn't get delivered to Asami, and he must go to pick it up from Kiko's safety deposit box himself.

Asami still had work to do, so he followed Suoh and Kirishima to the guest house and set up in the office. He took calls, signed documents, did all sorts of paperwork, whatever other remote work they could do. 

The work kept the trio busy until it started to get dark. It was winter, so the sunset just before 5 pm. They continued working into the night without a hitch. They would probably work until very late, which is how they usually were.

Before midnight, Asami took a cigarette break.

He thought about a few things. Perhaps he was too determined to find some kind of dramatic explanation for why Kiko had acted the way she had. She had undoubtedly heightened the theatrics of it all.

But maybe the truth was she was simply an older woman, who had gotten a little dottie in her old age. And her thoughts were about making sure her cat found a good home, as odd as that may have seemed to Asami. 

He wasn’t sure about the prospect of taking care of a cat. He had never had a pet before. 

But Kiko seemed adamant that Asami be the one to take care of it. He was getting her considerable fortune, after all. He was only mildly surprised that she left everything to him. She was a relatively private person and probably didn’t have anyone else to give it to. It seemed a more than fair trade-off, just to take care of a tiny kitten.

Perhaps the cat could become the office cat or something. That way, he’d be ‘taking care of it’, but not really.

A part of him was not ready to give up on the investigation. Kiko was his long time friend, a former employee. He didn't really want to believe that his old friend had gone completely off the rails- because that would have met that he had failed her. 

And frankly, there were too many mysterious holes in this story that he couldn't help but want to pry open.

What about the gun he had reluctantly given her. Where was that now? And why did she even need it?

Her odd house rules? Her mysterious houseguest, for which there was a lot of evidence of his existence, but who had never been seen or heard. 

He took a nice inhale of his cigarette. He would prefer to be in Toyko right now. Maybe then he could read Kiko’s sealed letter she had left for him. 

He idyll began to look out the window by his desk. He looked at the snow and trees outside. Until his eye caught hold of something that made his eyes widen.

A light on. Inside the main house.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me when I post new chapters: bouncing in my seat.

Asami wasn’t sure what it was that possessed him, but he jumped out of his seat and left the office in the guest house. He scurried to put on his coat and scarf, and told Kirishima and Suoh, enough work for the day and that he was going back to the main house.

Asami chooses not to mention the light on in the main house, although he wasn’t sure why he didn’t want to tell them.

Perhaps a part of him thought he was becoming a bit fixated on finding out the truth. If it turned out to be just a fluke, then he’d look obsessed and unseemly in front of his subordinates.

Plus, what Kiko had said was ringing in his ears- that he needed to see something. As if it was for his eyes only.

He also didn’t want to scare off someone. Suoh and Kirishima were loyal men, and Asami trusted them with his life- but this might require a certain kind of delicacy that three large men in suits couldn’t achieve. This time when he’d enter the main house, it would be with a bit more tact. 

He took off his jacket, gloves, shoes, and tie. Leaving him with only his pristine white button-down, he undid some of the buttons and rolled up his sleeves. The point was to give him a more casual and relaxed appearance. A three-piece power suit, had its uses in looking intimidating as hell in a board meeting or while striking a deal with Cambodian drug dealers. But now, it was probably only frightening someone off, which was not his intention to do.

The light had come from the 2nd floor, in Kiko’s bedroom. Which is why it was immediately alarming to Asami. Because the room had definitely been off-limits all day, with the lights switched off.

Asami didn’t immediately go upstairs. He looked around silently on the first floor. To see if there were any signs of an intruder, or if anything else seemed out of place. He was not thinking about where the cream-colored cat had wandered off too, even though it was not in its usual spot by the fireplace. He didn’t find anything out of order, so he quietly walked up the steps.

The door to the extra guest bedroom, where he had found the men’s clothing was wide open, he passed by it and peered inside, but it was empty. He made his way down the hallway.

The door to Kiko’s room at the end of the hall was ajar. The light was still on and was teeming out the door and into the hallway. He tiptoed to the end of the hallway and slipped through the crack in the open door.

A sleeping figure on Kiko’s bed caught Asami's eye right away. There was only a single light on, so he couldn’t quite make out anything as he stepped into the room.

The lean and petite silhouette lay on its stomach, sprawled out on the bed. Asami's eyes traveled up the naked form. From its delicate toes, and its slender ankles. To slim legs, and up to two milky thighs, and a bare tiny perfectly round and pert ass.

A work of art by anyone’s standards and that was only the lower half. Asami was standing over the figure in astonishment, but it wasn’t because of the flawless form in front of him.

It was because just above that pristine round ass was…something that trialed off the side of the figure and it was… long and bushy….

...and cream-colored.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am staying home and cozy in my apartment writing fanfic about my favorite anime boys to avoid reality! Its crazy times everyone and I hope you and your loved ones are staying safe! :}


	15. Chapter 15

Was that a — tail?

A part of him shuddered a bit in disbelief at the thought. How was it possible.

Asami gulped. He stepped closer to the edge of the bed.

As he got nearer, his eyes continued inspecting the figure. Past the tail, which he was ignoring for now, and up the arch of a spine. To muscle-bound shoulders and long arms, one of which was draped lazily over the side of the bed. Then there was a long and elegant neck. A well-built jawline, full pink lips, and a button nose. Large eyes that were softly closed in slumber, with fine delicate lashes. A mop of messy short blond hair- no, not blond. Cream.

And atop its head pointed fluffy ears.

He brought a hand up to cover his mouth to stop a gasp from escaping his lips.

T-this isn’t happenings. It’s not possible.

Asami was a reasonable man that believed in sensible things, and a boy with cat ears and a cat tail was not part of that.

Asami was frozen in his spot, looking at the sleeping boy in front of him. He wanted to call Kirishima and Suoh, so one of them could punch him in the gut right now, so he could tell if this was all just a crazy dream or not. Or at very least, to confirm that his eyes were not deceiving him.

But all he could think about now was Kiko’s words, “You’ll think I’ve gone batty.”

This was it, wasn’t it?

This was the secret Kiko took with her. The secret she had been guarding for so many years and was desperate to hide. So desperate, that she moved to the middle of nowhere, that she set strange hours for her nurses, that she kept to herself…

For her little Akihito…

Asami sat on the edge of the bed, next to the sleeping figure. He was maybe starting to wrap his head around it all. It was somehow making sense now, yet no sense at all.

He just continued staring the boy down, still unsure if he was real or not. His creamy, supple skin and perfectly sculpted body made it seem all the more imaginary.

The fluffy ears twitched slightly, and he stirred a bit in his sleep. Asami could hear his faint breath and see the slight rise and fall of his chest. You could see how very much alive this little creature was.

Asami wasn’t sure what came over him, perhaps a bit of compulsion, because he still wasn’t sure if he could believe what it was that he was seeing. He felt an urge to touch those ears, and suddenly his hand was there- stroking the side of the creature's head like he had this morning.

A reverberating purr hit his ears, the cat - nay the human, wriggled a bit. Its eyes still closed, while it stretched its arms, it smacked its lips together in a sleepy way. Its mouth curled into a smile.

“Akihito,” Asami said softly.

In an instant, the cat pounced up inattentiveness and turned to look at Asami. It’s bright green eyes beaming and sparkling in alertness.

“Grandma!” It called.

Its face fell, and pupils dilated, turning into saucers when it caught sight of Asami. In an instant, its ears arched back, flat against its head. Little fangs were brandishing themself from the boy's mouth. 

It must have been hard for such a tiny sweet faced creature to look ferocious, but that's what it attempted to do. It hissed at Asami and batted his arm away. Before Asami knew what happen, the boy had pounced off the bed with the same agility of a cat, and it dashed under the bed. 


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I've gotten asked about Akihito age so I thought I would do some explaining;
> 
> Aki's character is right out from the canon version of aki-cat which is from "The boss's secret life with a furball" extra chapter- in that version, aki-cat is kinda bratty right, he knocks over stuff, wants to be played with, wants snacks, doesn't like baths. He acts kinda childishly. 
> 
> He's More cat than a person. He is not mature and neither is my version.
> 
> In my version, he has been alive for 23 years. Kiko has not had him for all that time. and I don't really have any plans about pre-Kiko storylines, as of yet, but maybe one day. I would say she has probably had him since he was a pre-teen.(i.e in chapter 2 when she says he's in his delinquency phase- Aki cat would have been a 16-year-old and a teenage cat)
> 
> Kiko has maybe been with Akihito say 10 years. she retires from Sion 7 years ago in ch1
> 
> but in this universe catboys age and mature differently than humans. so while he looks like his normal canon Akihito self (but with cat ears and a tail). and his body has developed as it would normally, but he obviously doesn't act like a 23-year-old nor like a person.
> 
> part of the inspiration for this fic was from webtoon called "Wolf in the house", and they make an interesting comparison to "Country" vs "city" wolfs. which I was also using in this fic. That country dogs (in this case cats) are kinda naive about the world because they have been living in the countryside and are living separately from the outside world for most of their lives vs. city dogs/cats who have been exposed to the outside world via because they live in the city.
> 
> Aki is definitely a country cat, who has never even left home. Kiko even says she coddled him, so I think we can also say that he is kinda a naive kitten anyway.
> 
> He will begin to mature, especially under Asami's influence. I don't plan on having him be a silly kitten forever (although Asami will always think he is a silly kitten) and in fact, it's kinda a major arch that I am planning out for the story. Where Aki-cat is beginning to develop, grow smarter, and more independent. 
> 
> hope that explains somethings, without giving away to much of what I have planned plot-wise for the story.
> 
> I will also say, that Asami will not be having sex with Aki-cat for some time. As I think he thinks (As i think) that Aki-cat is really too much of a kitten.
> 
> So for the next part of the story, it will basically be a lot of FLUFF - Aki being adorable and Asami will be sweating nervously because he's not ready to touch his cat yet.
> 
> _________

“Akihito,” Asami tries for the third time.

He had ventured on all-fours to peek underneath the bed. The boy had curled himself up and growled at any attempts to try to bring him out from under his hiding place.

Asami had learned that the hard way, when on the first attempt, Asami tried to force him out, and his forearm got bombarded with scratches. And the boy could scratch, even drawn a bit of blood. So now he would try another tactic.

“Akihito, I didn’t mean to scare you. I just want to talk. I know you can talk.”

That was met with a growl and a prolonged bout of whining noises. Then finally, a soft voice, “Grandma told me I couldn’t talk to strangers..” He squalled out.

The boy shifted a bit and whined a bit more as if realizing he had just talked to the said stranger and was angry with himself.

“Akihito. I-I a -ugh. I’m a friend of Grandma. She wanted us to meet.” Asami tried to sound convincing.

It was a little jarring for our seasoned crime lord to be calling Kiko “Grandma”, but remaining his usual hardened and impassive self right now had gone entirely out the window. “I used to work with Grandma. When she lived in Tokyo, she invited me here so we could meet.”

The growling had stopped, and Asami peeked back under the bed to check on him. He was still curled up, but he wasn’t giving Asami a nasty scowl, which he had done every time Asami had taken a peek under the bed. It was a good sign.

Now instead, his face was buried in his arm, and suddenly there were more whining noises. But it was different than before, not in anger but almost sadness. Then Asami hears another sound, and it takes him a minute to register what it is.

Sniffles. Uh-Oh.

“Where IS grandma!?” The creature mewls through more sniffles, and his face rises, and his bright eyes are wet with tears.

Oh no. Oh no.

“Akihito..” Asami's voice is soft, and his face is filled with worry. It’s been five minutes, and he’s already made the poor creature cry. He doesn’t have the heart to tell the boy that his grandma’s not coming back. He reaches his arm under the bed, with care this time, “please come out…come here, little one.”

Akihito is so distraught, but he listens and begins to crawl out from under the bed, with Asami’s help.

“Good boy,” Asami says encouragingly as he scoops the boy up and plops him into his lap, while they sit on the ground.

Akihito has already completely given in and hooking his long arms around Asami’s neck. He buries himself into Asami’s chest, whimpering and crying. The tears land heavily on Asami’s pristine white button-down shirt. But Asami doesn’t care, he’s far to busy cradling the little bundle in his arms, and he softly shushes him, trying to soothe him.

He lets the boy have at it for a while longer, stroking his hair and quietly shushing him. Until he says, “Let me see you,” and he lifts the boys chin up to look at its wetted face. He wipes the tears away and caresses the boy's smooth face. “It’s alright. It’s alright.” He says, continually soothing the boy. “Grandma wanted me to look after you. It’s alright.”

Akihito spends another moment composing himself, the whimpering has died down, and his tears have dried up. Asami strokes the boy's soft face and cheeks with his thumb, wiping away some more wet tears that had landed there, “My names Asami.”

The creature perks up immediately. Hazel eyes are back in attention and wide-eyed, and its mouth forms an “o”. Asami can still see its little fangs inside its mouth.

“A-Asami!” The boy recognizes the name, and he beams excitedly, “Grandma, told me your, my new friend, yes?”

“Yes, Akihito. I am your new friend.” Asami says rubbing his fluffy ears.

* * *

Found this cutie online, exactly how I picture Akihito in cat form! Love his kinda ginger/white - Cream coat.

Aki is also a MAJOR SNUGGLE BUDDY

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The FLUFF has been activated :]
> 
> sorry, it took so long to post, My parents have been driving me a bit crazy because they are thinking about moving and its been stressful helping them! :) 
> 
> While doing research and just generally fooling around, cause i was trying to find a picture of a cat that I imagine Akihito looks like, I came across a Persian kitten adaption site- which made for some great like AW's and OH's and OMG i am in love. 
> 
> The highlight of my night was a small teacup Persian cat named Pip Squeak- there were many other names that were equally amazing, but this name literally had me crying in joy xDD
> 
> So I will definitely have Asami call Akihito a pip squeak once or twice. Just warning you now!
> 
> I think a Persian cat suits aki very well, kinda the perfect cat a rich old lady would have (and now also a crimelord). Coincidentally, Yamane Ayano has like 3 or 4 silver-haired Persians, that she always tweets about so I think it fits perfectly and she would approve :D


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ugh again sorry for not posting as much. This chapter was supposed to be done ages ago but I just got too many distractions and distractions! I'll try to post some more this weekend, but we'll see! I am hoping to have a bit of a schedule, at least once a day from now one. but we'll see how much I can stick to that.
> 
> Enjoy!

“Why didn’t you say so earlier! Grandma told me ALL about you!” Akihito said excitedly. His tears were all but forgotten.

“Did she? Only good things I hope.”

“Grandma told me your favorite fish is Mackerel. I also like Mackerel. She also said that you smoke a lot- that's bad for your lungs, y’know. And that you like butterflies. I also like butterflies, too.” Akihito chattered about, speaking very fast. “And that you live in a BIG tower in Tokyo all the way on the top floor. And that you like traditional Japanese breakfast food. And that you always dress nicely. And that-“ 

“Akihito. I-I know you're very excited. But this is important. I need you to think. Did Grandma leave anything for me? Maybe something she wanted to give me?”

Akihito tattling along was indeed adorable, but there was still the matter of some explanation. Kiko would have left something, more than just a sealed envelop that was all the way back in Tokyo. She would have left something here in the house, just in case. 

Akihito's shoulders slumped, and he looked down at the ground and bit his bottom lip agitatedly. He was thinking very hard, and he hummed a bit in thought. After a moment, he perked up suddenly. Eye’s sparkling in determination.

“I know!” He sat up from Asami’s lap and walked to the door, and Asami quickly followed behind.

Akihito leads Asami, down the hall to the guest room. It must have been his room. Once inside the room, the boy crawled under the bed and retrieved a large and low fabric box.

He opened it to reveal a box full of little nicknacks. It was his stash. Everything and anything he had probably gotten his little paws on.

Countless buttons, some cat toys, colorful balls of yarn and string, socks, scarfs, hair brushes, some silverware, rocks, a few glass bottles, hair clips, sea glass in every color, shells, one earring that could have easily been a diamond earring, scraps of paper, brochures that had probably been thrown in with the mail.

There was even a box of Asami’s own Dunhill cigarettes, one that he had thought he had misplaced earlier today. And one leather glove that Asami recognized as belonging to Kirishima.

The little theft. Asami grinned to himself. So he was a little trouble maker.

But on top of it all, was a small white envelope, Asami recognized it as the stationary that Kiko used, with the gold lining. The shinny bit of gold had probably attracted the boy's eye. The stationary was one that Kiko always used when she sent letters to Asami in Tokyo.Asami’s name was written in cursive lettering on top. 

So there was a letter. But, our little sticky-fingered kitten had snatched it before Asami could find it. 

Asami picks it up and thanks, Akihito.

"Akihito, let’s put you in some clothes.”

He had almost forgotten about that. Not that he minded to see the boys bare and beautiful body. Akihito was rather unashamed about being naked, although he probably didn’t know any better. Plus, Asami was feeling a little dirty about ogling him so much.

Akihito pouted a bit at having to wear clothes. Apparently, he found them very constricting. But he put on some boxers and then a grey t-shirt, and they went back downstairs together.

“Is there anything you need right now. Are you hungry?” Asami asked. He was suddenly reminded that the boy had been left alone for the day, all by himself and how impatient he was for food when they had arrived—the poor dear.

Akihito only beamed a toothy smile, “Hot cocoa?!”


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One last goodbye from Kiko

If you’re reading this letter, Ryuichi, then I probably didn’t make it in time to see you one last time. For that, I am sorry, since you probably will have many questions about my odd and somewhat cryptic behavior that has unfortunately plagued me for the last few years.

It all started a decade ago. That's when I was entrusted, by either pure dumb luck or fate, with a secret. A secret and the burden of that secret that I now have no choice but to pass on to you.

It's a secret I have spent the last few years of my life safeguarding- protecting, teaching, raising as my own.

It's a secret I have killed for, Ryuichi. And I would do it again if I thought it was necessary. I moved all the way out to Hokkaido just to protect it.

It’s a secret that you can only see to believe. Wait for sundown, and you’ll find Akihito soon enough.

Once you see, I think you will understand why I have gone to such lengths. Maybe now, you can understand why I turned in to such a crazy cat lady in my old age.

I will do my best to explain, although I never had any of the answers in the first place and was learned as I went along.

To start. I don’t know what Akihito is. I imagine he was just born that way. I have no explanation for that to give you. When I first met him, he was only a child. He is still very much a child, despite how much he has grown.

The only thing I know for sure is that during sundown, he transforms, and when the sun goes back up, he returns to a normal cat.

He likes many things, he’ll eat anything put in front of him. He hates thunderstorms. He is mischievous and affectionate. He is very boyish and childish, at times. But sometimes he’s a ridiculously clever little thing.

He’s unexplainable and one of a kind.

I wish I could be there when you first lay your eyes on him. I can only imagine the shock in your eyes. I can only hope you are not too horrified. Although I don’t see how anyone could possibly think such a thing is anywhere near being horrible.

I only ask that you ensure he is safe, well provided for, and kept in secret. It is my opinion, the number of people who should know about his existence should be kept to a minimum, but I also trust your judgment. I have willed you everything I own so that one day it will go to him- when he is ready.

Obviously I can not know what you intend to do with him, or if you plan on dumping the responsibility of raising such a thing on someone else. I would understand if that is what you choose to do. But, I will say he has been immensely excited to meet you. As no one ever comes to visit him.

I suspect, though, since I know you so well, that you will love him just as much as I do. I believe there is something only you can give him. Perhaps it's only just a bit of adventure and some liveliness that he has been sorely lacking.

I am attaching with this letter a list of resources you might find useful. Including a list of his favorite foods, also the service I use to have his meals adequately prepared. His diet is specific, even though he has many favorite snacks. Try not to spoil him when it comes to food, as I always did. He does get stomach aches and such. I’ve also attached information on grooming, a list of his favorite toys, his habits, schedule, and other things you might find useful so you can adequately care for him.

When you go back to Tokyo, be sure to get in contact with his vet. I choose Ai Momohara specifically because she started off as a medical doctor and transitioned to becoming a veterinarian, making her uniquely capable. She is the only one, that knows his secret. I did many background checks on her, and I trusted only her with his secret.

Akihito has grown up a lot in only the last few years. His vocabulary has increased, practically tenfold in just two years, and he is much smarter now than he ever was. I believe he is in the midst of a growth spurt, at least that's what Ai and I came to understand. You will have to talk to her about it.

The safe in my bedroom has some other important things in it that I think you might like. Including a few photo albums, he was such an adorable kitten I took too many photos, but it never seemed like enough. There is also a journal of mine that may help you to understand. The combination for the safe is Akihito's birthday, he will tell you himself.

I can’t bare to think of him being alone, or unhappy. I don't know if there are others out there, just like him. But if there is not, you could be his only friend. Please treat him well.

Give my love to Akihito.

Goodbye, old friend.

Takaba Kiko


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So in like two days, I hit like a thousand notes and I couldn't believe it! Thank you guys so much for the support! This has been such a fun little fic, that I didn't expect would get so much support, and it's been so great to hear you guys respond so well to it.
> 
> It makes me so happy to read all your comments, and encouraging words. 
> 
> I have a lot planned for this fic so I hope you guys are prepared for a lot of fluff, drama, a bit of action, and some smut (later). 😊 😊 ❤️ 💕 💝

Asami did make Hot Cocoa for Akihito, which he happily slipped away and chatter boxed away for several hours.

He mostly talked about living in Kanagawa. There was a dock on Kiko’s estate, and they’d go fishing in the summers, and Akihito could eat whatever he caught.

Asami could somehow not picture Kiko, the former Sion executive, and high-society lady fishing. But apparently, her late husband had fished a lot.

He talked about walking on the beach at Kiko's estate and collecting shells. He didn't like swimming, so he'd play a game where he'd run from the waves. How they'd go on Kiko's boat, and watch the firework display. Akihito talked about how Kiko started to get sick, and they couldn’t do as much as they used to. How winters in Hokkaido were not so bad, because it meant he was in hybrid form for longer and he didn't mind the snow. 

Although, Kiko would apparently bundle him up in all sorts of jackets and clothes so that he wouldn't get a cold. Which he was not a fan of, but he'd do it anyway.

He did tell Asami his birthday, which Asami had to make a note of for later when he’d open up Kiko’s safe. He got to eat cake on his birthday.

“You took good care of Grandma, didn’t you?” Asami said they were lounging on one of the couches downstairs. Akihito had come up, all on his own, and was resting his head on Asami’s lap while the older man petted his head and ears.

He gave a soft smile, “Yes, I-I took good care of Grandma. I always stayed near her and brought her things. Sana always said I took good care of Grandma.”

“I know you did. You're a good boy.” Asami scratched that spot under his ears that made the boy purr.

After a moment, the boy's face suddenly sank again, he bit his lower lip, and he looked at Asami wide-eyed. “Grandma’s not coming back…is she”. His tone was rather calm.

Asami stroked his face and sighed. “No, little one… She’s not…”

Akihito downcast his eyes and bit tighter on his lower lip. But he didn’t say anything.

“It’s alright. She loved you very much.” Asami began, he played with Akihito’s hair while he spoke. “She wanted me to look after you from now on…is that okay?”

The boy only nodded. His ears were still flat on his head. A clear indication he was still upset.

“Akihito, would you like to come live with me…in my big tower, in Tokyo..”

Akihito sat up. Ears perked up in interest, and there was a keen look in his sparkling eyes. "Really!?" he said excitedly.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can't believe I've made 20 chapters! ☺️ 🐱🐾

Eventually, they go to bed, Asami sleeps in one of the guest rooms across from Akihito. The boy begrudgingly agrees as he wants to stay with Asami.

But when Asami wakes the next morning, the little cream kitten is dead asleep, sprawled out on the bed next to him. His fluffy tail is slightly tickling Asami’s bareback. If Asami had rolled over in his sleep, he would have likely crushed the small cat.

Asami wonders when he had entered, but he can’t possibly complain. He softly wakes the kitten up by scratching his belly.

“Akihito..” He says softly. The cat purrs at the touch and stretches. It rolls over, so Asami has better access to rub his tummy.

The kitty doesn’t peel its eyes open, but that will come next. He’ll let it wake up on its own, while Asami will get ready. He hops into the bathroom for a quick shower. When he gets out, the cream-colored kitten is waiting patiently right outside the shower.

The cat's expression doesn’t change as he steps out of the shower. It just looks up at Asami with its keen eyes and follows his movements.

“Uh- kitten, what are you doing in here,” Asami says, quickly grabbing a towel to cover himself. But he sighs, he supposes it a normal cat thing to do to watch you in the bathroom. He goes back into the room with Akihito in tow and quickly changes into some clothes that are in his suitcase.

After he gets dressed, he wonders into Kiko’s room to open the safe. There are three large photo albums and a leather-bound journal. He picks them up and puts them in the guest room by his suitcase.

He wants to look at them all, but he knows Kirishima is downstairs making breakfast. He can smell it from up here. He wasn’t ready to tell his secretary, nor Souh, everything. Kiko had wanted him to keep the secret to a minimum. Plus, he didn’t want to share.

He’d look at them in more detail later and in private, although he was curious to start reading Kiko’s journal. In any case, he went downstairs. Akihito following closely behind. Would he do that all day, Asami wonders as he stepped into the kitchen?

Kirishima had prepared Akihito’s food as well, which Akihito happily munch on.

“Sir,” Kirishima started, “We’ll be sending that safecracker in later today, we found someone in Sapporo.”

“Oh, that won't be necessary, I open it,” Asami said sipping on some coffee and with an eye watching Akihito snarfing down his bowl of food.

Kirishima looked surprised, “Oh- well, I’ll just cancel that then, how did you open it, sir.”

Asami’s eyes were still watching Akihito as he chewed on some food. He smiles, watching him, “The cat told me the combination.” He says absentmindedly.

“Uh, I mean…” he sits up, realizing he sounds like an idiot. “It was the cat's birthday, it was uh- on Kiko’s calendar.” 

“Oh, very clever, sir.” Kirishima looks at his boss, who can’t keep his eyes off the little cream kitten. He clears his throat before talking again, “Uh, did you find out anything last night?”

“Hmm..no.” Asami says, finally tearing his eyes away from Akihito, “but ugh, I think we should head back to Tokyo soon. We’ll have the service for Kiko there. We’ll need to pack somethings up here to take back home, as well.”

“Alright, shall I get things ready for an evening departure.”

Asami pauses for a moment, realizing an evening departure would mean that Akihito would transform. It was still winter, so the sun would come down at around 4 pm. Which meant they had to get back to Toyko earlier, or else stay another day and leave in the morning.

“I think we better set the departure for tomorrow morning,” Asami replies. It was already 10 AM, and it would take three and a half hours to get to Tokyo. Which meant they’d have to leave in two hours, and he wanted to make sure he was packing all of Akihito’s things.

After breakfast, they moved into the sitting room. Everywhere Asami went for the rest of the day, the little cream cat followed closely behind. Vying for attention, for pets and belly scratches. Asami would be reading a report, and he’d let Akihito sit on his lap, and he’d idyll pet the kitten.

 _A man could get used to this._ He thinks as he runs his hands along the soft fur on Akihito’s back.

As it starts to get nearer to 4 PM, He instructs Suoh and Kirishima, that they'll work in the guest house again tonight. 

The little kitten, who has been following Asami all day, attempts to follow Asami across to the guest house. 

"Akihito, you have to stay here. I'll be back later tonight. We can have dinner together, and then we need to pack up."

He meows angrily, "Aw now, don't give me that. I'll be back. I have to do some work right now. But then we can play- I promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Akihito when Asami steps out of the shower: 😻😻


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this fic has made me soft y'all 😂❤️

He leaves the guest room early again, as he doesn’t want to keep Akihito waiting.They still have to pack. He’ll have to go through things with Akihito to see what he'll want to bring to Tokyo.

When he enters the main house, he thinks Akihito will be up and about. But the boy is not downstairs, so he walks upstairs in search of him. He’s not in his room. Asami peeks into his own room, but he’s not there either. But he does notices one of the photo albums from earlier is missing.

There's only one place he hasn’t checked yet. Kiko’s room. He finds the boy sprawled out and asleep on Kiko’s bed like he was yesterday. The photo album is open next to him. Perhaps he had fallen asleep looking at it.

Asami takes a peek at the open page of the album. He sees a picture of a tiny blond boy with ears, perhaps only 12 years old, holding a HUGE fish that about the same size as he is. The look of pure delight on little Akihito’s face, has Asami smiling. 

He looks back at sleeping Akihito and notices that he’s tightly gripping on to a pillow. His head is sinking into it. It’s Kiko’s pillow. Akihito must be missing her…

He sits down next to him. He hates to have to wake him up since he looks so cute and peaceful right now. But there won't be another time to pack.

“Kitten..” He says lightly. He brushes the back of his hand along Akihito’s back. He pauses to admire the lovely arch of his back and how his skin is silky smooth to the touch. 

_His_ boy is a beautiful creature, isn’t he?

“Akihito…” He says again softer this time, and he reaches down and pecks Akihito's forehead.

The kitten stirs at that, and sleepy eyes greet Asami.

“Aassammii,” he says as he stretches, “Time to play!” He perks up, his eyes as bright as ever.

“More like time to pack,” Asami says. “After we pack up, then we can play”

Akihito makes a pouting face, but he gets up and heads to his bedroom. Asami follows behind. “Put some clothes on when you get to your room, please.” He calls after him—unfortunately, no distractions for tonight.

They pack after much fusing. Akihito picks all his favorite toys, all his favorite clothes. Akihito's box of treasures is included in the packing. Asami packs Kiko’s pillow- since he seemed to be attached to it. He also lets Akihito pick out some things of Kiko’s that he’ll want to take with him. Asami reminds him they can always come back and visit the house.

They eat dinner in Akihito’s room while they are working. By the end of it, they have a few boxes that will be brought along on the plane. Asami packs his own bags, as well, although it's much less. He moves it all downstairs so it will all be packed and ready for tomorrow's departure.

By the time they finish, it's already past 3 AM.

“Its bedtime, kitten,” Asami says as they go back upstairs for the evening.

Akihito's cheeks puff in irritation. “But, you promised we could play afterward!” He pouts.

“Kitten, it's late… We have a big day tomorrow. You took far to long packing.”

Akihito gives him what can only be described as “puppy dog eyes”. Asami chuckles.

“Alright, how about this… we’ll have a little sleepover in my room. Hmm? Would that cheer you up?” 

He knows it does because as soon as he says it, Akihito’s ears perk up, and he’s enthusiastically nodding even before Asami finishes his sentence.

“I thought it would.” He says as he watches Akihito turn on his heel and rush into Asami’s room.

By the time Asami follows him behind, the kitten is already making itself very comfortable. Sprawling himself out on the mattress and getting under the covers. He hides half of his face underneath a blanket, Asami only sees a hint of his eyes and fluffy ears over the sheets. He’s hiding a flushed face and the wide smile he has underneath the blankets.

Asami crawls next to him and gets under the covers, he sits up and turns off the light.

“Good night, my cute little Akihito.”


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOOPSSS! this was bound to happen, but I accidentally added this chapter to Something Wicked instead of here! hehe quickly deleted it, and reposted it here.
> 
> Okay so i wanted to ask you guys some questions/comments about upcoming episodes and i'd like your opinions about it.
> 
> So i was gonna do episodes where its like asami is reading Kiko's journal, - and we are learning about Akihito's past and a younger Kiko- how they met, their lives in Kangawa, etc etc. but i am a bit afraid that it will take over and they'll be too many episodes. when of course i want to move along Asami and Akihito.
> 
> I was thinking of doing like one episode where it's like a flashback/asami reading whats in Kiko's journal, and then one episode where it goes back to present day Asami and akihito.
> 
> I was thinking thats a nice balance, but maybe some people just want Aki and Asami. I would still have the flashback episodes, but maybe i could make it like one or two large chapters instead of bouncing back and forth. 
> 
> although i kinda like the idea of like two divergent stories happening- and they could be minorly related to each other. like something that happens in the past is like happening again in the present. Thats what I was thinking and i just wanted to know if that sounds good to everyone? ☺️
> 
> Once again thanks for reading 😊😊

The next morning, the cream-colored cat is curled up on Asami's pillow right next to the older man's face. His tail is tickling his nose this time, and it makes him almost need to sneeze.

He slowly gets up, not wanting to wake the kitten while he is getting ready for the day. He takes a shower. This time when he steps out, the kitten is patiently waiting on the sink counter. His ears perked up, and he meows.

“We’re leaving soon,” he says, and he pats himself dry with the towel. He scratches Akihito under the chin. “We won’t be back here for a while….So make sure you say your goodbyes. We’ll be on the road after breakfast, alright.” He reminds the kitten.

He gets an affirming meow in response. He changes and goes downstairs for breakfast, which Kirishima has nicely placed out already. The cat chews down his food and then disappears, while Asami is still eating.

Kirishima and Suoh are talking nearby, and Asami hears Kirishima complain, “I seem to be missing one of my leather gloves.

“I am sure it will turn up,” Asami says, a smile lacing his lips because he knows a certain klepto-cat took the glove.

“By the way, sir,” Kirishima starts. “I got one of these to transport the cat.” He picks up a portable kennel that was in the other room, with metal bars on the door.

Asami is so glad Akihito is not there to see such a horrid thing, and he makes a face of pure disgust at it. “I am not putting Akihito in one of those things,” He sounds utterly insulted by the very notion.

Kirishima is taken aback, but he puts the kettle down. “Get that out of here before Akihito sees it,” he reprimands his secretary.

Later, when he finishes with breakfast, the car is all packed, and all that is needed was to finish up and leave. He calls for Akihito, but the little kitten is nowhere in sight. He's not responding to his name getting called. 

Asami was starting to worry that Akihito had, in fact, seen the cage and was now hiding. And that Asami would have to talk the cat out of his hiding spotted and explain that he would never put Akihito in a cage. He went upstairs looking for the kitten. 

He found him curled up on Kiko’s bed one last time. He’s not asleep but, he’s not his usually excited perky self, and it's very evident to Asami.

“Akihito….time to say goodbye now..” Asami says, he scratches Akihito’s head. But the cat doesn’t stir much. He only lifts sad-looking eyes. He makes a sound that sounds a bit like a whine and a bit like a growl. Asami pets along his back, “I know. I miss her too.”

He scoops Akihito up and holds him against his chest and shoulder. “But, its time to go, Akihito..”

The cat lifts himself up in Asami’s arms so that they are face to face, and he starts licking Asami’s face. “Alright, Alright,” Asami chuckles, letting Akihito have a little licking session. He goes back downstairs with Akihito still tucked into his chest and walks outside to the awaiting car.

It’s a two-hour drive to the airfield, where Asami’s jet is waiting for them. The cat spends most of the car ride, staring eagerly out the window. He remains quiet, almost somber, but he mostly seems back to his usual self.

When they arrive at the airfield, Asami steps out of the car. He leaves the car door open so the cat can plop down on his own. Asami lets him follow him up the steps to the jet.

“What a smart little cat,” Suoh remarks. Oh, he has no idea, is all Asami can think.

When they get inside, the cat is already rushing around, exploring the new space. “Akihito you’ll have to sit in my lap during takeoff, alright” Asami calls after it

During takeoff, Akihito sits in Asami’s lap, but he’s abuzz, taking in all the new sights and sounds he has probably rarely ever experienced before. As soon as they're at the right altitude, Asami plops him back down on the ground, and the cat is practically bouncing off the walls.

He climbs from window to window looking outside, he crawls under the seats, pouncing and jumping on everything, and rolls around on all the surfaces. What a curious little house cat, he was.

He goes into the other part of the plane, where Suoh and Kirishima are and wants to play with them. Asami feeds him a snack during the flight, as a light lunch- and Akihito licks it clean off his fingers.

He’s on high energy for the entire flight. That when they finally land and get into the limo that's awaiting them at the airfield, he’s pooped and takes a light nap on Asami’s lap during the ride to the penthouse.

When they arrive, his things are already getting moved in. Asami puts the little cream-colored kitten on the ground.

“Welcome home, Akihito.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized during this chapter that Asami is freakin DONE for. haha he's a goner


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> planning on taking a bit of a break this weekend, just to work on other stuff! I'll post tomorrow (i think) and then next update will be monday! 
> 
> enjoy :D

**10 Years Ago:**

It had been a lovely spring day. Early May’s are when summer is in the air. The color on all the trees return, and flowers grow in their flowerbeds. The sun was shining, the birds where chirping.

If Kiko could use a word to describe this day, it would be bright! At least, it looked bright outside from her corner office at Sion Corporation. She mused about enjoying the outdoors before it got too late.

But for now, she had four hours straight of meetings. Did they call them board meetings because they were boring… She sighed.

It had been a little over a year since she had joined the start-up company Sion Corporation. She was one of its founding investors, despite her financial advisers' best attempts at thwarting it. She had recently been widowed and left a vast fortune, and that had suddenly made all the men in her life trying to push agenda's on her- ones they promised were for her benefit. But she knew better.

Investing in Sion, everyone thought she had gone mad, but she ignored the critics. What could she say, she had an eye for value, for talent. She had recognized the value in Sion and wanted to get in on the ground floor as soon as possible. This venture had already tripled its value in under a year. It could hardly be called a "start-up" now, and her critics were now all jumping at the bit to join.

Sion, the stronghold that King David had captured in Israel that became the start of an empire, as the company was aptly named. It was a stronghold that was for sure—his stronghold.

There 24-year-old CEO was where the bulk of the doubt was, about whether this company would succeed or not. Everyone knew from the beginning that he was brilliant, well-bred, business savvy, tall, dark, mysterious, and handsome too. And well, the rumors about him only made him all the more dark and mysterious. Despite all his positive qualities, the critics said he was far too young to take on a business of his own. A venture like this wouldn’t last, they said. WELL HMFP.

In any case, bored meeti- I mean board meeting after board meeting, and Kiko could finally get off early from work. She was so excited about it that she didn’t check the weather beforehand. Her thoughts only on the wonderfully bright day she had seen out her window. She asked her driver to drop her off at a nearby park that was a few blocks away from her townhouse. She’d walk the rest of the way home.

She strolled around the park, but what her office view didn’t show her was the billowing storm cloud brewing closer and closer. Her thoughts of a lovely walk in the park were ruined when five minutes into her walk, it was a torrential downpour.

Ugh. She couldn’t believe her luck. No umbrella to speak of and no raincoat on her. How could her driver let her leave without a hint of warning about the oncoming rain!

She quickly began to speed walk back to her house, which was a quick 10 minutes away, she knew she’d be drenched before she’d make it home. But something caught her ear.

A faint sound of whining, it sounded like a child. She turned her head around but saw nothing, and she began to move again. Until she heard it again. Loader this time, more insistent.

She looked around until her eyes caught a large brown cardboard box, it was damp with rain. As she neared it, the noise got louder and louder. She peered inside, the meager box, and inside was a damp and dirty cream-colored kitten.

It was the tiniest little thing, marred with mud and dirt that was seeping through the cardboard box. It was on its hind legs scratching and jumping on the sides of the box, trying to get out. It meowed, whined, and cried.

Poor little thing. She thought. She noted that the box had a handwritten note drawn on “Free Kittens”. Kittens- plural. But there were no other cats around. Just the tiny little, dirty, and cream-colored cat.

It seemed like something you might see in a cheesy movie. The dirty little runt kitten, the last one of a small batch that had now been left all alone in the rain. Her heart was telling her she couldn’t leave the poor thing.

It wasn’t her intention to keep it, only house it for a night maybe. Then drop it off at a local animal hospital or something and say she found it abandoned.

She picked up the dirty cat and brushed his face, he had pretty beautiful hazel eyes. Now that she was looking at him more clearly, she notices a red collar around its neck. The collar is oversized and hardily fits around the kitten neck, but she sees it has a name attached.

Akihito. Or bright child in Japanese.

Ha. Just as she had thought today would be. What an odd coincidence, she thinks. It makes her feel like the moment is so serendipitous and it makes her all the more want to take the little kitten back to her home.

She took the kitten and tucked it around her chest, inside the blazer she was wearing so it would be shielded from the rain, and she speeds walks back home. 

The cat hadn’t struggled inside her jacked as much as she had anticipated. In fact, it was a calm and rather well-behaved cat.

When she got home, she dropped the dirty kitten on the floor.

“Welcome home, Akihito!”


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to do a part two of the last chapter because its important. Kiko and Akihito are first meeting, both chapters are a bit longer than usual, too. So I hope that holds you over until Monday! When i'll be back with more chapters :D

Kiko decided since the kitten was so wet and dirty that she’d have to bath it, but first, she wanted to take care of herself. A warm shower would warm her up and ensure that the older women wouldn’t catch a cold or something.

She wrapped the kitten up in a towel to help dry it up and then left it in her living room, “Stay there,” she said as she went up the steps to her own bathroom.

It seemed to be listening to her commands. Earlier when she had first placed it on the floor, she realized it was dragging mud around the house. She absent-mindedly told the cat to stop moving, as if the tiny little kitten could understand - but then it stops! Just like that! It was a little strange since it seemed like such a young cat, but maybe it was older then it looked and properly trained.

Anyway, Kiko took a quick hot shower to warm herself up. She thought about Akihito while she showered. She had never had a pet before, but she was starting to feel slightly wrong thinking about return the cat to an animal hospital. She was a widow, and her sprawling townhouse in the Azabu district was feeling rather empty nowadays. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad to take on a small kitten.

Although she was starting to worry, the cat might be downstairs making a mess right now, and that would kill any idea of keeping the thing. She patted dry her shoulder-length cropped black hair. The grey hairs were starting to come in at the front, but she still looked her regular elegant self.

She went back to her room and slipped on a blue silk pajama set, and the matching blue robe and then headed back downstairs so she could clean the kitten. She had thought about maybe washing it in the sink- as it was tiny enough to do that. She had brought down one of her own shampoos. A rose oil and peach shampoo that she used herself. 

When she went back to the living room, the kitten was not there. All that remained of the cat was the towel, she had wrapped it in earlier. The room had darkened a bit, as the sun had gone down while she was showering, and she moved to turn on a light so she could find the little cat.

“Akihito?” She called out. But of course, it wasn’t going to respond. She stayed quiet, trying to listen if she could hear it puttering around.

But then out of the corner of her eye, she saw the closet door in one of the far corners slightly ajar. There was a long bushy cream-colored tail that was damp and dirty, that was sticking out conspicuously from the doorway.

Was he trying to play hide and go seek? well he was obviously very bad at it. His long tail gave him away instantly. “Akihito,” She said again as she neared the closet door.

She opened it slowly, but it was not a tiny but dirty cream-colored cat that greeted her. Instead, it was a tiny but dirty little human boy. She almost fell over backwards in shock, when her eyes locked with the creature. It was looking over its shoulder with wide, scared hazel eyes. It was as if both had been given a good freight. The boy dug further into the closet at her shocked expression and made a whining noise.

She was dumbfounded. Did her eyes deceive her? Had she seen a pair of fluffy cat ears atop its light-colored head? Had she seen the red collar, that now fit perfectly around its slim neck?

She walked more into the closet and went down low as not to further scary the boy. “Akihito? Is that you?” She said, looking at the boy, who was now attempting to hide behind a box that was inside the closet, to no avail.

That's when she heard a growl. It was not coming from the boy's mouth but rather his stomach. The more she looked at him, the more she thought how rather skinny, tiny and dirty he was. He had a spiky mop of blond hair- or rather it was cream-colored, almost platinum blond looking.

“Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?” She spoke slow and clear.

He was biting his lip and was giving Kiko wide sweet, and concerned-looking eyes, his ears were all the way back against his head. “Snacks?” He said in a low voice when he heard Kiko’s mentioning eating.

Kiko was taken aback by the soft voice- It can talk!? But she pretended it didn’t bother her and continued.

“Yes, snacks. Umm lets see.. what do you like to eat?” Perhaps it was too hard of a question to ask because the little boy just started to move out from his hiding place. He said snacks, softly under his breath. Once, he had crawled out of the closet. He stood up and looked curiously at Kiko, his facial expressions calmed. He even sniffed her.

“A-alright.” She tried to appear very calm, but inside her head was racing with questions. But she didn’t want to startle the boy further, so she gave him a warm smile. He returned with a toothy grin, tiny fangs on either side of his mouth greeted her. She was about to lead the boy to the nearby kitchen. But the dirt, mud and grim on him, halted her.

He needed a bath first. So she led him instead upstairs and turned on the bathwater.

She had learned his vocabulary was limited, and when she asked overly complex questions- like where did you come from? Where are your parents? He’d just look up at you with his big sparkling eyes and a small smile on his face, and he’d just blink repeatedly. Clearly not understanding the question. It took some serious haggling to convince him that - first bath. Then snacks.

Although she was instantly regretting the decision, because like any cat- this creature hated water. Oh! How he protested. He puffed his cheeks and pouted. His ears went fully back against his head again. His eyes looked fierce and determined. “No snacks,” She said until he got into the bathtub, with a miserable look on his face.

He was utterly desolate-looking the entire time. He hissed when the first bucket of warm bath water was poured over his head. And while she was shampooing his muddy hair and ears, he turned to her and with a completely straight face said, “I don’t like you.”

It was the first complete sentence he had ever said to her. She only chuckled. “Well, I don’t like dirty boys in my house.” She replied back to him. He grumbled in the claw foot bathtub.

While he didn’t like water, he did look in wonder over the bubbles that formed. And Kiko would blow bubbles right into his face, and when they POPPED right in front of him, he marveled at them. His expressions animated and oh so adorable.

She thought she had handled this entirely odd situation very well. But what could she say…

..she had an eye for value.… and this little gem she had stumbled upon, was priceless.


	25. Chapter 25

“I hate you…”

His kitten had a cold and blank look on him. One Asami was not used to seeing on his usually happy and beaming little kitten. He was in his human form, and he looked up at Asami from his seat. It was the deadpan expression he was toting that really sold it.

Asami would be lying if he said the words didn’t make his eye slightly twitch. But in this context, he supposed it was warranted.

He picked up the showerhead and sprayed it in Akihito’s face. The boy recoiled and covered his face, hissing the entire time and Asami chuckled.

Ah. Bath time.

It had been almost a week since they had met, and Asami had nearly forgotten that the little kitten needed to be washed regularly. Kiko had left a long note about grooming. More of a warning than anything else, about the battles that would be waged trying to get Akihito to bathe.

Bartering, begging, tricking, or forcing where Kiko’s helpful tips. She had said when he was younger, it was easier to force. But as he got older, she had found begging him was useful as he was easy to guilt-trip him into taking a bath. 

She said Asami was probably better suited to being able to just shove the boy into a warm bath every once in a while. But Asami had gone with a combination of tricking and forcing, for today's bath.

Asami had even been extra evil about it, too. When arriving home after work he told Akihito he was going to take a shower and not to come in this time, to allow him his privacy. He knew his little kitten couldn’t resist coming in anyway. It would be the perfect opportunity to trap him.

Of course, his boy never listened, and five minutes later, he waltzes right into the bathroom. Akihito was at first very pleased with himself, knowing he was a little mischievous boy for disobeying Asami’s request. As soon as he saw Asami, not in the shower and coming towards him, it was like he knew he had fallen right into Asami’s trap.

His face fell, and he tried to make a dash for the door. Akihito’s ears fell back, and his eyes narrowed, he batted, scratched, and brandished his fangs. But he was no match for the larger man, who practically had to drag him to the shower stall. The little kitten grabbed on to every little thing he could hold on to. He latched himself on to the half-wall by the shower door.

“NO, NO, NO,” he kept repeating. 

“Akihito! You know you're not leaving this bathroom until you’re clean.”

After another moment of protesting, Asami eventually got his little kitten into the shower stall. As soon as he got wet, the worst of the protesting was over. Now Akihito just grumbled to himself and puffed his cheeks in the shower seat as Asami scrubbed his back.

Asami was hosing him down with the 2nd shower head. It had taken Asami a while to track down that rose oil and peach shampoo, Kirishima was a great help in locating it. Kiko had mentioned Akihito liked it- no wonder his boy smelled so good.

“It’s not so bad,” Asami said after Akihito had declared his hatred. He was moving on to shampooing, which involved a nice scalp massage. While his boy made a grumbling face, he couldn’t help but purr at the careful attention he was receiving.

Once the shampoo was rinsed out, he went back to protesting, “No more washing! I am already clean! Stop it!”

Asami relented and decided to end the torture and turned off the water. “But I have to dry you, or else you’ll catch a cold.” It was answered by more grumbles, as Asami grabbed a towel.

The boy started licking the water droplets off of him with his tongue, starting with his arms and hands before a towel could be draped around him. Asami patted him dry, but he needed blow-drying too. 

Akihito sat in a chair on a vanity in the bathroom, as he apparently liked this part of bath time when hot air got blown on him. After he was all dry and his hair was soft and puffy. Asami fed him some extra portions during dinner as a treat, because he was starting to feel terrible for manhandling him too much.

He worried the boy would be angrily grumbling the rest of the evening. Or even that now Akihito would never come into the bathroom while he showered, for fear of bath time again. And Asami was just growing fond of how Akihito always came in to watch him. But Akihito didn’t seem to hold grudges, and he was back to his normally cheery self by bedtime.

Akihito climbed into his usual spot in Asami bed. He hadn’t once spent the night in his own room since he had moved in. Not that Asami minded. Akihito would just curl up in the space next to Asami and fall asleep instantly. “It was warmer in here,” Akihito would say.

“So you don’t hate me, eh?” Asami questioned as he climbed into bed after his kitten.

His little kitten flushed bright pink, bit his bottom lip, and cast his eyes down. “No..” He answered meekly.

“I didn’t think so, kitten, I didn’t think so…”


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like most pets don't like going too there V-E-T-S. But Akihito does! 😻

“Kirishima, for the meeting today, I am going to need you and Suoh to be extra vigilant. I am on high alert about it. We might need to make a quick getaway, so keep the car running. It could get sticky in there…” Asami was carefully planning. 

He was concerned he might be walking into enemy territory. He already had the exits mapped out, escape route plotted, and a shiny new beretta tucked neatly away in its holster underneath his suit jacket. He’d be ready for anything.

Kirishima gave him a puzzled look. “S-sir, d-do you mean you’re meeting with the vet today?”

“Yes. Of course. What else would I be talking about? We had to reschedule our meeting with the Cambodians - just for this."

“Uh, O-of course, sir.”

Since returning from Hokkaido, Asami had gone to Kiko’s lawyer. It was a quick trip, only to pick up a key to a safety deposit box, which was at Mitsubishi Bank headquarters in the Chiyoda district.

The safety deposit box contained a sealed envelope and a sealed box. Inside was a similar letter to what he had found in Hokkaido. There were more pictures of Akihito and videos as well. But there were other things as well.

The sealed envelope contained a whole medical file of Akihito. There were samples of his blood, hair samples, x-rays, CT scan results, DNA scans, Urine test analysis, and countless blood test analysis, and skin biopsy. Kiko had done almost every medical test there was on him, with the help of his vet, Ai Momohara.

Kiko had said she had done a background check on her, and that she trusted Ai with Akihito’s secret. But Asami was generally wearier. He did his own deep dive into her background, and all known associates. He dug into her personal finance, her phone records, even so far as her school report cards.

The deep dive had so far revealed nothing suspicious. But usually, he had months or weeks to investigate a target thoroughly. Less than a week of data collecting wasn’t sufficient enough for Asami, so of course, he was overly cautious as he went to the meeting with the vet.

The medical file had left him even more wary of her. As it showed her many, many requests for blood samples and other tests she wanted to run. Akihito wasn’t a science experiment, and it worried him immensely that Ai might be keeping such paramount evidence of Akihito’s very existence in an unsecured location.

The medical test she had done, could have involved taking them to labs or other outside facilities. How many people knew of Akihito’s existence or had proof of it in the form of DNA, potential just lying around a lab somewhere in Tokyo. Where were these countless samples now? It was a lot of potential breaches to think about it. Akihito’s secret and his security was, of course, paramount to Asami’s concerns.

Asami had almost not wanted to bring Akihito. It was hard to take Akihito out of one of the most secure apartment buildings in all of Tokyo before Asami even had an opportunity to meet Ai himself. Plus, there was a lot to discuss, and there was no need for Akihito to be there. 

But Akihito had begged him to come along. He knew he shouldn't have said anything to him about planning on meeting Ai. The kitten wanted to see the woman he considered his best friend. He was so excited to leave the house and visit an old friend that Asami could hardly say no to him. Even if Asami, himself, was not sure he could trust Ai. So he'd be on high alert- just in case.

So that was how he found himself at a reasonably homely looking veterinarian office building. He sat in the waiting room with tiny cream-colored Akihito in his lap. The two looking very out of place there. He was starting to wish he had organized the meeting to be done at his office in Sion- which was swept daily for listening devices….

Had he always been this paranoid…

Ai was a feminine looking young woman, petite and good looking. She walked up to Asami with a bright face, “Welcome, You must be Asami-san.” and they shook hands. 

Akihito plumped down from Asami's lap and started meowing loudly in greeting. He tangled himself in her leg's, and Ai looked down at him and patted him on the head. "Why, hello, Akihito! Don't you look well! Are you having a nice time with Asami-san?", Akihito responded with another chorus of meows. 

Asami kneeled down and picked Akihito up, and Ai guided them to her small office. She gestured for them to sit down. There were two armchairs next to her desk, and Asami placed Akihito down on one and then sat in the other. Ai closed the door to her office as she went to sit at her desk.

“I was very sorry to hear of Kiko’s passing. She kept in touch for a long time though letters and phone calls. I knew she was sick, but it was still surprising to hear.”

“I suppose she told you who I was then..” A part of him knew Kiko must have left something, to let Ai know that Akihito would be changing hands to him.

“Yes, We had talked about it in great detail. I know she wanted to tell you earlier…but obviously she waited until the last minute.… She told me that you were perhaps, the only man in Japan who was uniquely capable of making sure Akihito remained hidden to the outside world.”

“Do you know why she didn’t tell me earlier…” Asami asked.

Asami was curious as to why Kiko had kept Akihito hidden from him for all these years. Especially since she planned on giving Akihito over to his care a long time ago. Kiko had known that Asami would have insured Akihito’s safety and kept his existence a secret. And he'd have done it too, while she was still alive and well. 

Ai gave an awkward smile and laughed under her breath, “Well, I believe as she put it, she was afraid that you’d ‘take over,’ and she wasn’t ready to give Akihito up yet. She did an excellent job, though, of looking after Akihito. She was very protective of him, as am I. I know you probably have your concerns, but I am just as protective of my patients.”

Asami gave a light smile thinking about Kiko saying he’d “take over”, she was probably right. If he had known of Akihito’s existence, it wasn’t hard to imagine him instantly trying to monopolizing him or even stealing the boy away from his Grandma. Kiko had really anticipated for everything.

“I am sure you're very good at your job, Momohara-san. It’s just.. in my line of work, there's no such thing as being too careful. I am just cautious about who I trust. Akihito’s situation is precarious, I am only afraid-" 

He paused at that. Akihito was still here, although he didn't seem to be paying much attention. He had long dropped down from the chair and was looking at Ai with his bright eyes eager for attention. But, Asami knew Akihito actually always listened very carefully. And Asami didn't want to say something that would scare him. Like that, he was that afraid if people found out about him, he'd be probed and prodded, or else turned into some freak show. So he adjusted himself. 

"concerned- about Akihito's safety." 

Ai looked down at Akihito, a smile on her lips she cocked her head as if to say, "What are you doing?". The kitten was sitting patiently on the ground next to her chair, his eyes still trained at her. She picked him up and put him on her lap. He rolled over, with his paws curled inward, wanting to get pets on his belly. 

Asami continued. "Kiko gave me his medical files, I was wondering what became of all those samples, How did they get tested?” 

“I can assure you I didn’t send Akihito’s blood samples to our lab to get them analyzed, I look at them myself. All the MRI’s and CT scans we did them in secret, and I looked over the findings myself. All of his blood samples were either destroyed or I have them here in the safe in my office.”

She wasn't looking at Asami as she spoke. Her attention was solely on Akihito in her lap, and making silly faces at him, wriggling a finger in front of him, and then poking his nose. 

“Momohara-san. Akihito seems to like you a lot, and Kiko trusted you. So.. I will, too." He said it reluctantly, but seeing how she was playing with Akihito made Asami rethink his initial hesitation with her. "But I would like certain changes to be enacted, so I can feel completely comfortable coming to you for regular checkups with Akihito.” 

“I understand, Asami-san. What can I do to make you more comfortable?” She said, straightening up.

“How do you feel about having your own practice?"


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part two of the visit with the vet. 
> 
> Can I just say that ever since starting this fic, and because I look up cat-related stuff on the internet I've been getting all these advertisements on my computer about pet care, or pet beds it's so funny
> 
> Enjoy 😊

Ai responds with a laugh. “Kiko said you might try to buy me out.”

Asami blinks, taken aback by her answer, but he reforms the questions. “It's not that I am trying to buy you out, Momohara-san. I didn’t mean to insult you if that's what you think. Its just money isn’t in an issue. I would rather we work together in a place where I can control the situation. With your own practice, you won't have to do things in such secrecy. It’ll be in plain sight. It will be your own x-ray machine, your CT machine, all the latest things that we won’t need to go to a lab for, that you can just do in the comfort of your own practice. You can have other patients, of course, all I ask is you give Akihito priority.”

“Asami-san….I am not insulted, I am just - It just seems a little extreme. You would really just… buy…me a veterinarian’s practice just so Akihito could have regular check-ups.”

Asami wasn’t sure how much Ai knew about him, or his business, or his illicit business for that matter. The truth was that he bought a wing at Tokyo’s St. Lukes Hospital for hundreds of millions of dollars. It was the best investment he ever made, private care for himself and for any of his men that got hurt in the line of duty- no questions asked, no investigations into their injuries. For a crime lord, owning a part of a major hospital had its benefits.

‘Buying’ a small veterinarian practice for Ai Momohara would probably be a small fraction of the price of buying an entire hospital wing. Perhaps only a few million dollars, he had already thought this through. If it was a building, he owned it could be under his supervision, with the kind of security he wanted. Plus, getting private care for Akihito, where they wouldn’t have to worry about his secret getting exposed, was undoubtedly worth whatever price tag. It seemed a more than suitable arrangement. 

“I think it’s worth the investment.” Asami looked at little Akihito, still playing in Ai's lap.

They talked in more detail, for the next 20 or so minutes, about building the practice for Ai. Asami already owned a building that could easily get converted into the veteran office in the nearby Minato district. He’d have his people handle everything, so she wouldn’t have to worry. And it could probably be set up within the month. Akihito still sat in Ai’s lap the entire time and occasionally meowed when his name was getting called.

They talked about how Kiko, had chosen her as Akihito veterinarian because she had gone to medical school before becoming a veterinarian. Ai worked at the University of Tokyo Hospital for a year, after Medical School. But, she decided that she preferred working with animals, and wasn’t suited to working in a hospital. It made her the perfect candidate, both human doctor and animal doctor.

Eventually, their conversation turned to Akihito and his test results.

“Why did he need to be tested for so many things?” Asami finally asked. Asami had found it a little odd that Kiko would even go to a doctor, especially since she had been so secretive even towards Asami. Was there a reason Akihito needed one?

“Well, Kiko had taken care of Akihito for a long time on her own, before she decided she needed to talk to a medical expert. It was because about five years ago, Akihito’s body.. started to change. He had always been growing, but it was at a much slower rate. But he suddenly grew exponentially fast. She was afraid something was happening to him, so she searched for a doctor who could potentially figure Akihito out.”

“Kiko mentioned something about Akihito being in a growth spur?” It was something Asami remembered from Kiko's letter, that she wanted him to discuss it with Ai.

“It’s a little more complicated than just that. Physically he grew, yes. Five years ago, he went from looking like an 8-year-old to looking like a 16-year-old in a matter of a year. Since then, he grew at a more natural pace, physically he’s like 20-year-old, now. Mentally, he’s still very young. But even that has developed a lot in the past few years as well. MRI scans of his brain show that in the last year alone, his brain is developing very fast.”

She looked down at the little kitten in her lap, who was batting his arms, seeking more pets and attention. “He’s going to be a very smart little kitten, isn’t he?” She said it in a childish tone, directed at Akihito. There was a pause as she gave him more pets.

“But actually... the main concern is that he is developing…sexually as well.” She added, looking up at Asami.

Asami winced, “What do you mean?”

“The reason Kiko sought out medical help, was because... five years ago he went into his first…heat.”

“Heat? I thought only females animals went into heat?” 

“Yes, that is true. But we discovered that Akihito is…. Intersex. We’ve been dealing with it naturally ever since then, his diet- it's one of the main ways to level hormones out. We also added certain vitamins to his diet. And it did help. But every year it gets worse and worse, as he gets older.”

“Worse?” Asami asked raising an eyebrow.

“I mean more uncomfortable for him- harder to manage. Kiko and I were in talks about potentially having him take regular hormone injections for him.”

“What happens when he’s in heat? How often does it happen?” He asked. He must have had a look of real concern on his face because Ai attempted to easy him.

“I know this is a lot to take in. We don’t know much about it ourselves. This entire situation, it can’t quite be explained in…a scientific way. He might be cute and cuddly, but he is still - part animal. And well...all animals have base needs, that they need to...act on. Lots people get their pets get-" she covered Akithito's ears in her lap, "Neutered- but we obviously wouldn't do that to little Akihito." She says as she releases his ears and returns to petting him.

"It sounds rather mystical but-“ she continues and looks at the kitten in her lap, “He is rather a magical creature, isn’t he?….We discovered his heats have something to do with the cycle of the moon. On full moons is when you can expect them, so once a month.”

“And..What..should I do when this happens?”

“Just let him be…it’ll be hard since he’ll be uncomfortable. But it’s his own body's natural responses. He’ll be back to his normal self by the next day. It’s all we can do for now…”

“Do nothing??.. what about the long term?” He didn’t like the sound of this at all. There had to be something more, then just letting it run its natural course, especially since it seemed to be getting worse and worse.

“I know, It’s hard. Perhaps down the road, we can produce some kind of hormone blocker for him to take. But for now, we don’t know enough. I don’t know if we’ll ever know…”

She paused and checked the time. Their meeting had run over an hour, and she had another appointment she needed to get to. So she’d have to wrap up the meeting. Asami gave her his private number and his secretary's number so they could further discuss getting her practice in order. She picked up Akihito from her lap and gave him a peck on the top of his head and said he could visit whenever he liked. She said her good-byes and handed the kitten back over to Asami.

As they departed, she made one last comment; “Asami-san, I know it's hard. But it’s not as if we can pick someone up off the street for Akihito to" She shrugs, "… to mate with or something.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...kiko anticipated everything hehe 😏


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more Aki POV to come 😊

Asami’s tower sure had looked a lot bigger from the outside.

Akihito liked the way Tokyo looked from the balcony atop Asami’s tower. A part of him was feeling like he was in one of those stories about a prince being locked up in a tower, that Grandma used to read to him at bedtime.

He had no complaints about his new digs. The food was, of course, delicious. There were still many things to explore in this new home, and he was doing things he had never done before. But.. he did have one complaint.

Asami was rarely ever home. He’d leave for work at noon, and then he’d come back home very late at night. There was hardly any time to play! He’d want to sleep when he got back home from work.

This is why Akihito was very excited to have a playdate with Ai. But the two ended up talking to each other the entire time, that he felt a little huffy about it. After the meeting, Asami couldn’t even drop Akihito back off at the house since he had to go somewhere else.

Instead, the job was tasked to Suoh, the large blond man that worked with Asami.

Suoh was one of Akihito’s newest friends since he had moved in with Asami, Suoh, and glasses secretary. (Akihito always got tongue-tied trying to say Kirishima’s name so he had taken to calling him glasses secretary instead)

At first, he had been a little wary of the large man. He had never seen such a tall and burly looking man before. Akihito wanted to be as strong as Suoh was one day. Then maybe he could follow Asami around all day, just like Suoh.

Suoh had a tendency to look and act all tough and big, but as soon as he was alone with little Akihito, he would talk to the kitty in a childish voice.

“Who’s a good boy, who’s a good boy,” He said as soon as the elevator doors closed, in the lobby of the apartment building. Suoh was cradling the kitty in his arms, gently rocking the kitten as he spoke.

 _IT'S ME! I AM!!_ Akihito gleefully thought. He was laying on his back in Suoh’s arms, wiggling happily, he meowed a few times in response and playfully batted his front paws around.

“You are! You are!” Suoh followed up and rubbed Akihito’s belly as the elevator dinged to the top floor.

 _I KNEW IT!_ Akihito thought, feeling triumphant.

Suoh brought him into the apartment and placed him on the ground. Then he walks straight into the kitchen. Akihito ran to get one of his favorite toys, a feather toy. That you’d wiggle in front of him and he’d pounce trying to catch it. He picked it up in his mouth and rushed back into the kitchen.

Where Suoh was heating up his late lunch as he had done a few times in the past week or so. “What’d you’d bring me this time?” he asked when he saw the little cream cat with the long wooden attachments in its mouth.

Suoh picked up the toy and played with the kitten with one hand while cooking in the other hand- Akihito thought it meant he was the coolest person in the world. Next to Asami, of course.

Once he had finished, he drops the food down and stays until Akihito finishes the whole bowl of food, 

“Alright now. I wish I could stay little Aki. But I am still on the clock, so I have to get back. You be a good kitty until Asami-sama comes back home, okay!”

Akihito meowed affirmatively, and Suoh pets him one last time before leaving. Akihito followed him until he went out the door.

He wasn’t sure what to do now- _I know! I’ll wait for Asami!_

And so he sat by the entrance, he chewed on his favorite fish toy while he waited, he rolled around by the entrance. He sat patiently by the door, waiting and waiting, he thought Asami would come home any minute. And he wanted to make sure he’d be right by the door to greet him when he did.

But minutes turned into hours, and still, he had not arrived home.

The little cream-colored cat curled up by the entrance, folding his tail around himself and lightly nodding off…waiting patiently for his prince. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 😭😭


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This episode was just kinda pure silliness but I couldn't help thinking about it. hehe
> 
> Aki getting into things he should not be getting into 😏🐾

At some point, Akihito nodded off, and when he woke, he had transformed, and there was still no Asami.

He puffed a little in impatience. But he got up from the ground and headed to his room to put some boxers on. He knew if Asami saw him walking around the apartment with no underwear on, he would get reprimanded.

Afterward, he puttered into Asami’s room and sat on the bed. He yawned and wondered when Asami would get back. He liked being in Asami’s bed cause it smelled like him, and it was usually very warm. But since Asami was not here, it was not the same.

He rolled around on the bed, still playing with his favorite fish chew toy. At one point, the toy got partially thrown, and it landed in-between the mattress and the bedside table. Akihito looked around, trying to reach the toy when he realized there was a switch by the bedside table. One that he had never noticed before.

He clicked it- because buttons just _need_ to be pushed, don’t they!

He heard a clunk and a wall in the corner slide open, revealing a secret door.

Akihito sat up on the bed, stunned by his findings. _A SECRET passageway!_ He thought, excitement bubbling over. Now, this was exactly like one of the stories Grandma used to read.

He sprung up from the bed and walked towards it. Then he slowly and carefully peered inside.

It wasn’t a secret passageway. But a small and secret extra room with a bed inside. Akihito peered inside and carefully examined the room. It didn’t really smell like Asami, signaling to him that Asami hadn’t recently been inside this room or hadn’t stayed long enough to leave his distinct smell.

 _What’s this room?_ Akihito wonders.

He was a curious cat, so he inspected the room thoroughly. Sniffing everything, rolling on the bed a few times, letting his fingers trace every surface. As he looked around the room, his eye caught hold of a glass display case on one of the walls.

The case had three unusual items, mounted on them. Made of a silvery metal in a funny shape, Akihito had never seen anything like them before. They were intricately carved and had a long barrel.

Akihito’s bright eyes widen, looking at the display case. They were very, VERY shiny.

He wanted one….

He understood now. This was Asami's secret collection. Just like how Akihito had a secret collection under his bed. He wanted to see Asami’s secret stash! He had shown Asami his own secret stash!

This whole secret room must be filled with all of Asami's secret things. The more he explored the room, the more that fact seemed to ring true. There where shelves under the bed and on the wall that he couldn’t open by himself.

He found another button, and one of the walls opened up and revealed a lot of other strange things that he had never seen before. The wall display was slightly ominous to Akihito, not that he knew what they were. But he got a bad feeling about them. The strange things were black and leather, there was even some chain-like things mounted on the wall.

 _What could this be for?_ Akihito wondered. _I KNOW. These are his toys!_

Akihito thought they were kinda funny looking toys. Next to the black leather stuff, there was a whole display of these oblong-shaped rubber toys. They were many different shapes and sizes and in many different colors too. He never thought Asami would have such a playful side.

At the same time, however, Akihito was starting to get a little angry, looking at all these things.

 _He has a PLAYROOM ,and he DOESN'T INVITE ME!_ Akihito thought. He puffed his cheeks in annoyance. He felt Asami was hiding things from him, and not sharing his toys!

But maybe these were his special toys that he kept for himself. Akihito reasoned- he could not be angry at Asami for long.

Plus his eye had caught hold of something at the very top of the display. His pupils looked like saucers looking at it- it was red and had studs around it..

..and he wanted it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 😻😻


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 30 🥳🥳
> 
> The last chapter was a bit of fun but i loved, loved having people guess what it was, that Akihito had found in the secret room. You were all wrong! (some of you partially right.. but nvm)
> 
> I also loved that you HEATHENS believed it was about to get smutty! Well not just yet!

Asami had already got a notification from the security system at his apartment, informing him that the panic room was opened.

_What is that little kitten doing?_

Asami was slightly impressed that Akihito was smart enough to find the secret switch, but he supposed it was probably bound to happen soon. He was only worried about what the curious kitten would get into once inside the panic room.

He checked the security feed on his phone while he was still at the office. He realized it was worse than he could have imagined.

The cat had found _the_ secret panel, the one he really shouldn’t have. And not only that, he was starting to pick things up off the wall and was scrutinizing them.

Asami could only watch as his sweet little innocent kitten pick up black butt plug vibrator from off the wall. Akihito somehow turned it on and was taken aback when it started to pulse in his hands. He was so shocked that he dropped the thing on the floor.

But all the same, Asami saw how delighted he looked by its vibrations and how it moved on its own. He was clicking all the buttons and wriggling it around in his hands. He looked so very pleased with his little discovery.

He had to go home right away! He groaned to himself, trying to imagine how he could possibly explain this to his little cat. He knew it wasn’t necessarily Akihito’s fault for getting into the secret room, it was probably bound to happen one day.

But the fact that he was messing with everything and taking things off the wall- that was just pure mischievous Akihito.

He was resolving himself. Knowing that he shouldn’t let this kind of behavior slide.

Discipline was in order.

While he was on his way home, Asami suddenly remembered that there were a lot of guns stored in the panic room. Although he was pretty sure they weren’t loaded, or they were behind panels that needed his fingerprint to access-but who know’s what kind of trouble that little cat could get into!

So now, he was quickly rushing up to the elevator. Starting to worry that Akihito might actually harm himself.

He walks into the apartment. Akihito’s not by the front entrance as he usual was when Asami got home. A troubling sign already.

“Akihito,” he called out. He placed his briefcase down when he got inside, and he took off his suit jacket and started undoing his tie as he headed into the master bedroom. Knowing that must be where Akihito was.

He opened the door, and his control practically shattered. His kitten was lounging on the mattress, sprawled out as he always was when he took cat naps. A red leather collar and harness around his pretty slender neck and chest.

Asami’s eyes seemed to gleamed as he took in his kitten curled up on the bed, his naughty behavior from earlier all but forgiven and forgotten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Fathers day! Especially to the biggest daddy of them all 😏


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the little break. I was finishing up working on Wicked and then I took a day off from writing. 
> 
> hope you enjoy 😊

Akihito awakes sometime after 3 AM. He didn’t remember when he had crawled out of Asami’s secret playroom and decided to take a nap on his bed. But he obviously had. He stretches, arching his back, extending his arms, curling his hands and toes. He smacked his lips together, sleepily until he realizes where he is and who he is with him.

Asami's arm is wrapped around Akihito. His strong hand on Akihito’s back. Akihito’s head is on his shoulder just underneath Asami’s chin. Asami’s only wearing some pajama bottoms, so there's skin on skin contact. Akihito is pleasantly surprised by the position.

Asami and Akihito had slept in the same bed, more or less, since Akihito had moved it. But that just involved sleeping next to each other. Sure sometimes Akihito would cheat and curl himself a little bit closer so he could be nearer to Asami. But this was very different than before, and Asami was the one clearly instigating it, which put a soft smile on Akihito’s little face.

“Asami?” He whispers, to check if the older man is awake.

Asami hums in return, and his arm around Akihito tightens, drawing Akihito closer to his warm body.

“When did you get home? I wanted to greet you when you got back!” he says cheerfully, still resting his head on Asami’s shoulder. His other hand brushes against Asami taut chest.

Asami hummed again, and tousle's Akihito’s blond head. He plants a kiss on his head before saying, “Not too long ago...I didn’t want to wake you up. You looked too cute to wake up.”

Asami paused. Akihito fuss's a bit underneath him, getting comfortable and settling into his spot in Asami’s arm.

“Kitten.”

“Hmm?” Akihito says, perking his head up.

“The collar suits you.”

Akihito sat up a bit more, remembering he was still wearing the red collar and harness he had found in the secret playroom. “I thought so too!” He beamed. But then he remembered he was a little huffy about it. “Why do you have a secret playroom that you don’t invite me to? Hmm? Don’t you know you're supposed to share your toys y’know!”

“A playroom? Is that what you thought it was?” Asami turns around so he’s facing Akihito, a light chuckle escapes his lips. “…One day, I’ll gladly show you all my toys, Akihito… and teach you all about them.“ he scoops up Akihito a bit tighter “But those are grown-up toys, Akihito. And for now. I like my little kitten _just_ the way he is. I want you to be my baby boy just a little bit longer.” He kisses Akihito on his little button nose.

The boy seems satisfied with that answer, and he scoops his long arms around Asami's neck and curls back into him.

“Can I keep the collar, though” He adds. His eyes are closed, ready to go back to sleep, curled up on Asami’s chest.

“Yes, my cute little Akihito, you can keep the collar.” Asami chuckles.


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I hit 10,000 hits and 600 Kudos! You guys are amazing! When I first started writing fics I thought I'd be happy if like 10 people liked my fic- Glad more then 10 people like my fics! hehe

Asami wakes up the next morning, and the cream-colored cat was sleeping half on top of his face.

“Ugh- Akihito.” He teasingly whined, he shook his head away. “I probably swallowed a furball, you silly cat.”

The cat got up and stood on Asami's chest, his bushy tail high in the air in a playful manner. He was standing over a sleepy Asami. The little cat bombarded the crime lord with kisses, licking his face and neck.

“Alright, alright. I get it. I’ll get up! You’re hungry!” Asami playfully teases. He lets the cat lick him for a little bit longer before he starts to sit up.

The red harness and collar are still on Akihito, but they are oversized and almost falling off the cat. Asami sits up and fixes it. The harness can be detached- there's no way it will be able to fit the tiny kitten since it was already on the smallest setting for human Akihito. The collar can still be worn on the cat, although it'll be a little oversized. Asami doesn’t want to tighten it because it could strangle Akihito when he transforms.

Akihito sits on his lap patiently while he fixes the collar and harness. His bright little eyes don’t look away from Asami. When Asami finishes fixing it, he gives the cat a peck on his head, just below his ears for being so patient. He gets up and heads towards the kitchen.

He picks up the cat and puts him on the kitchen counter while he gets the food out. Some of it needs to be heated up, but he lets Akihito snack on the rest, knowing he must be hungry since he seems to have skipped dinner last night. He the rest he throws in a frying pan to be quickly heated up. While he makes himself a cup of coffee.

Its a pretty regular morning for them. After the food is finished cooking, Asami takes a shower. The little cream cat still follows Asami into the shower, as he always has. He was fortunately not scared away after their last bath. He still sits and watches attentively as the older man washes himself behind the glass doors. Then he’ll follow Asami out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom, for Asami to get dress.

Asami will idly talk to the cat, even ask him what he should wear for the day. The cat always picks out the butterfly tie. He'll grab it from the closet by putting it in its mouth and dragging it into the bedroom. Always trying to be a little helper.

Today while Asami is getting dressed, Kirishima arrives at the apartment. He has a key, so he rings twice and then enters on his own. He usually does this when he has some packages or mail for Asami, which he’ll drop off in the front hall. The cream cat rushes out of the bedroom to greet his new friend.

Asami finish’s up getting dressed, so he let the cat run off to greet Kirishima. While the cat leaves, Asami quickly ensures the lock on the panic room won’t be opened by him again. He would rather Akihito not get into those toys, while he was away at work again.

He grabs his suit jacket and puts it on as he walks over to the entrance. He hears Kirishima talking to Akihito.

“…tee-hheee...What are you doing?” The secretary says in a high pitch tone.

Was… that Kirishima… giggling? Asami wonders.

He knows Kirishima is not as openly affectionate with the cream-colored cat as Suoh was. But the truth was, he knew his secretary had a bit of a soft spot for it.

He turns a corner, already expecting to see Akihito doing something playful and cute that has even garnished the attention of his usually stern secretary.

Instead, he sees his secretary kneeling on the ground, partially holding up the kitten, who is standing on its back legs, and reaching up and…. and… adamantly licking Kirishima’s face!

The secretary laughs again and turns his head away, so Akihito’s licking the side of his face.

Asami flinches. _His_ little cat - licking another man's face!!

“Akihito!” He says. He can’t help that instinctive reprimanding tone in his voice, nor could he help how his eyes narrow menacingly at the scene he’s just witnessed.

Both the cat and Kirishima turn to look at him, with confused expressions on there face.

Asami realizes too late, how absolutely ridiculous he must look being jealous over his cat - doing what cats do best. He sighs, hoping he didn’t sound too angry just now. He’s also praying Kirishima didn’t notice that flash of possessiveness he just displayed.

Akihito drops down and starts tattling over to Asami. Kirishima had most certainly noticed that death glare he received, but he doesn’t say anything. He stands and clears his throat awkwardly, while pushes his glasses upwards on his nose like he always does. 

"Ugh. Should we being going..." He says gesturing to the door. 

"In a moment." Asami says, he scoops up Akihito from the floor and ignores Kirishima for now, while he walks into the other room. Once out of earshot, he speaks to Akihito in a low voice. 

“Akihito! I am not sure how I feel about you licking other men's faces…” He reproaches Akihito. He even wags his finger in front of the poor cat.

He goes into the living room and drops the cat on the sofa. Akihito only looks up at him with his big blameless eyes and responds with a low meow.

“Ah.. W-we’ll talk about it later.” Asami relents. Turning on his heel, "Be a good kitty now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> poor Kirishima! 😂


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Every time I do an episode with little baby Akihito I get so SOFT. 😻😻😻
> 
> I can only imagine that if Asami was there he'd just pick little Aki up, and be like he's mine now.

“And the sleeping prince was locked away in a tower, and nothing could wake him! But there was one thing that could? Do you know what it is that will awaken him and break the curse?”

Akihito was listening as attentively as he always did, bright eyes sparkling with every new detail, a permanent soft smile on his blushing cheeks, his little hands curled up and gripping the blanket. He only pondered the question for a moment before erupting out with his answer, his fangy teeth sticking out as he did so.

“The smell of breakfast in the morning!” He said elatedly!

“Hmm…. That's a good guess” Kiko says, feigning amazement at his guess. “but.. nooo…try again.”

The little boy hadn’t changed much in the two years since Kiko had found him. He frowned at his wrong answer, and his cheeks puffed a bit, and he downcast his eyes. He had liked that answer!

“hmmm…” he pondered out loud, he bits his bottom lip and looks up hopefully, “an alarm clock?!”

“Uh! Noooo. There was no alarm clock! You silly kitty!” She tickles his belly, and he giggles. “No. The only thing that could wake him was true loves kiss!”

“A kiss?” Akihito questions, his eyes curious.

“Yes, just like this-“ and she reaches down and pecks him on his little pink lips.

Akihito flushes, “That's all! The prince only needs a kiss from Grandma!”

“Oh, no. A true loves kiss is very different than a kiss from your Grandma, little Aki. All Grandma’s love their little Princes -” Kiko pokes Akihito on his nose. “That's a given. But a true love's kiss is when someone else, who’s your one true love. Someone who loves you very much- maybe even more than Grandma, kisses you.”

“More than Grandma!!” He says, his mouth agape. He didn’t believe that it could be possible.

“Yes. More than Grandma!” Kiko repeated. “You’ll have a true love too, y’know little Aki.”

“Me?!” He says, “What? When? How will I know!?” He says, getting excited at the prospect.

“Oh, well, when you're older. I am sure of it. Someone will love you just as much as I do. And you’ll know little Aki, but you’ll know for certain when you give them a true love's kiss. You’ll fill warm and fuzzy inside..…”

.....Was it that memory of his Grandma that kept Akihito awake, now. Or was it Asami’s words from when he got back home from work. He had scooped up Akihito’s chin and said, “You belong to me now.”

And it was for that reason that Asami had said he didn’t want him licking or kissing anyone else. Akihito wasn’t sure what to make of that. He liked licking people.

He licked Suoh and glasses secretary, and Ai, and Grandma, and nurse Sara and everyone else he had ever meet. People tasted slightly different, and they always liked it when he kissed them or licked them.

Hearing it though, that he belonged to Asami brought a certain peace of mind to Akihito, a feeling of safety and warmth that he liked.

And while he didn’t understand what Asami was asking, he would do it anyway. 

Especially because he remembered how he felt when he had first found the collar and the harness in the secret playroom. His first thought was that Asami had another cat! 

He didn’t want to share!

Didn’t Asami belong to him too!

Plus, how would he feel if he saw Asami licking glasses secretary! The thought made the little cat boy shudder a bit. He didn’t want anyone else to kiss Asami.

All these thoughts rattled around in his brain as he sat up in bed. He was half resting on Asami’s chest, looking down at the sleeping man in front of him.

Akihito let a curious finger trail Asami's jawline and his cheek, and stream up the side of his face to his forehead. He delicately swept his finger down Asami’s straight nose. Studying and probing the man's face. Until Akihito's finger traced Asami's perfect lips, he paused there. Letting his fingers stroke the upper lip and then the bottom. His eyes fixated acutely on them too, pupils like saucers and mind in a trance. He only mused it over for a moment. He was far too curious not to do it. He reached up and gave those full lips the tiniest, softest little peck. 

When he finished, he sat up contented with himself, a soft smile formed on his blushing cheeks. He rested his head on Asami's chest and curled himself back into the older man's arms. Ready to sleep now as if nothing had happened.

The kitten was so wrapped up in the success of his little test, that he didn't notice the man's eyes opening afterwards. Nor did he see the small smile that curved on the man's lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Isn't the new chapter of Finder come out soon!? seen some pictures that are making me so excited 😻😻😻


	34. Summer Special pt.1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the little unannounced break! But we back! 
> 
> Was planning on doing this episode and then i realized its perfect for the fourth of July- and u'll see why... Japan obviously doesn't celebrate July 4th although its the start of the summer around this time, which has its own meaning in Japanese culture!
> 
> HOPEFULLY, i can post part 2 within 24 hours. it's halfway done. but u know when u start thinking of something else and then u wanna change everything 😅😅😅
> 
> While it doesn't apply to this first part because it's a flashback, I just want to add..I know we just met aki and it was the winter (SHUT IT) but I kinda imagine these two parts as being separate from the main storyline (like a jump in the future) - it will go back to the main storyline. Think of these two episodes as an 'extra'.
> 
> Anyway! ennnjooyyy ❤️😻😻

**Eight years ago:**

*CRACK*

The sky cracked open in a rupture of lightning, and rain batted against the window. A gloomy and dark looking storm cloud took over the sky.

Proper thunderstorm's, were always a bit more dramatic in Kanagawa. The waves were always choppy, and the sea air howled. 

“Aki! Come out, dear. It’s alright.” Kiko found her self on her hands and knees, trying to convince her little cat boy to come out of its hiding place.

The boy was still such a tiny thing. He could easily fit in the smallest of spaces. And today's hiding place was under the coach, although he would not be easily convinced to come out of his hiding place.

Akihito was terrified of thunderstorms. Although many animals are afraid of loud noises and this little cat was no exception.

This time the storm came up unexpectedly, Kiko was busy planning their little long weekend trip to Kanagawa. That she hadn’t even checked the forecast, she was sure regretting it now. She had been out on the town having dinner with some old friends when a storm cloud got her attention.

By the time she ducked out of the gathering, making her usual excuses, the rain had already started pouring, and the thunder and lightning were rumbling away.

When she arrived back at the villa, Akihito was not in his bedroom. She was only thankful that at least the sun had gone down, and that meant the search for Akihito would be more manageable. In human form, he’d be easier to find while his tiny cat form could be anywhere!

Eventually, she found the little boy curled up under the coach. He had taken a blanket with him and was hiding under the covers. She could hear his muffled little whines, and he had yelped at that last crack of thunder.

“Akihito..” She tried again at the little sad sounding lump under the coach.

It was as good a chance as any, to get him out from under there. Before there was another clap of thunder, and he'd retreat back to his hiding place.

When she looked back down at the trembling little boy, he had poked his head out from under the safety of his blanket. A large sad frown lined his little face and concerned big and wet hazel eyes met hers. His bushy tail he was holding against his chest. 

You’d have to be a cold-hearted bastard for your heart, not sink at such a sight. 

“Come here, sweet Aki, aw you poor baby. Come here.” She pulled him out and scooped him up.

He wrapped himself around her, reaching his arms around Kiko’s neck, and he buried his face into her chest. The blanket around him was like a little hood, covering his ears, which must have been flat against his head.

She took him straight to her room and placed him on the bed. Tucking him under the covers, so he was a bundle of blankets. A little cat burrito! She went around and covered the windows with shades so that the flashing of lightning wouldn't scare him either. She turned on the TV in her room to muffle the sound of the thunder and then joined him on the bed.

He crawled up next to her, and she scooped him up in her arms. He was still making little whining noises and trembling, but he had stopped crying and was rubbing his eyes dry.

Another crack of lightning burst, and Kiko could feel his body jolt in a tremor of fear.

“It's alright. shhh- now.” She said in a soft voice rubbing her face against his. She brushed a hand through his soft hair and hushed the child. “It’s alright, Akihito…Grandma’s here. Don’t worry..”

_____________________________

**A year ago:**

*CRACK* 

Kiko awoke to a loud clap of lightning. It took her a moment to register that there was a storm. And something immediately clicks with her, and she realizes - Where is Akihito?

Thunderstorms in Hokkaido were usually never as dramatic as they were in Kanagawa. But that didn't stop Akihito from being terrified. 

Her clock reads sometime after 3 AM, and he's not in his usual place sprawled out next to her as he usually would be. 

“Akihito?” She called, hoping he had only retreated under the bed or in the nearby closet.

She sits up and tries to listen for a response, but none came. So she pulled the covers off and ventured out of bed, sighing.

It was during moments like this when she wished she had some assistance. That she hadn’t gone off on this, ‘parenting thing’ alone.

She was getting far too old for this, she sighed.

After turning on a light, she slowly made her way to the door of her bedroom. She called down the hallway and waited to hear something. Another loud crack of thunder went off, making even her jump in surprise.

Oh, dear. She thinks.

She grabs a bathrobe and her slippers and walks down the hallway. The door to Akihito's bedroom is open, and she peeks inside. There's another crack of lightning, and she hears a soft whine come from a tall wardrobe. She slowly opens the doors. Sure enough, there's her little boy- well, he was a big boy now. 

He's sitting in the fetal position in the wardrobe, behind some clothing. He's outgrown the space but as if he was some kind of contortionist, he some how fits in. He never gets as as scared or as upset as when he was younger. No more tears, or trembling- he just frowns sadly and whines. He was more nervous and anxious than scared. Jumpier then anything else. 

“Oh, Akihito!” Kiko says “Why did you leave the bedroom if you were scared?”

He didn’t respond. He only makes more whining noises in his throat.

He's too big to carry now, so she could only take the boys hand and lead him back to the bedroom. Put him under the covers- as she had done when he was young and crawl into bed next to him.

He had learned to be gentle with Kiko during her older age, especially as she got sicker. No more tugging, or roughhousing. He tended not to know his own strength or how big and heavy his body was now. He could no longer just push his weight around like he used to, or crawl on top of her or rest his head on her chest as he used to. His arms were much longer now, and they gripped her rather clumsily, almost roughly in his agitated state.

“Akihito…calm down. It’s alright.” She reminds him, and he loosens the death grip he had around her. He gently curls himself in to her chest. “Oh, dear. What’s wrong my sweet Akihito…Are you scared of the storm?”

“Mhmmm..” He hummed dejectedly.

Thunder roared a bit in the background, and he shivered in her arms.

“Oh, Akihito....” She rests her head on the top of his, stroking his hair diligiantly. “You're a big boy now, aren't you?”

He looked up at her, and nodded ardently at that.

“Well, my dear, As a big boy. You shouldn't let a scary loud noise get you down. You don't wan't to be a little scardy cat, do you? You want to be a big strong and brave boy don't you?"

He's bitting his buttom lip and looking meek and unsure. But he begins to nod.

"Thunderstorms aren’t so bad…right Aki. Its just a bit of nature... sometimes there even quite beautiful.....” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Imagining Akihito as a cat burrito 🥰 💖


	35. Summer Special pt.2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There were a had a ton of thunderstorms ⛈ in the past week, was actually writing the first part during a thunderstorm so it was very good inspiration.
> 
> Anyway, tried to get this out earlier but you know how it is..

“Kirishima. I’d like to be kept informed on when thunderstorms are in the forecast…” Asami said off handishly one morning during the car ride to Sion.

“Thunderstorms, sir?” Kirishima asks, he peeks at Asami in the rear-view mirror to make sure he heard correctly.

“Yes. Thunderstorms,” Asami replied.

He had read Kiko’s journal about her experiences when it came to thunderstorms. She had mentioned that while Akihito seemed to be growing out of his fear of thunderstorms- it was best to be prepared.

And he wanted to be prepared…

Kirishima told him a few days in advance that thunderstorms were to be in the forecast for that week.

Asami decided he'd tell Akihito about the upcoming thunderstorms to gauge his response. So while they were climbing into bed together, he told Akihito the news.  
  


“Kitten, there are some thunderstorms coming up this week..”

Akihito tensed up. “H-how do you know?”

“I saw it on the forecast for Tuesday night…Will you be okay?”

Akihito relaxed, and he curled up next to the older man, “I’m okay. I’m not scared anymore….” He said it rather unconvincingly, to softly and lacking confidence. But then he straightens up and proudly touts. “I’m a big boy now!”

“Is that so….well, I’m glad, kitten.” Asami said, pulling the boy closer to him. “I’ll probably be at work…are you sure you’ll be okay?”

Akihito puffed his cheeks in indignation. How could Asami be skeptical about his declaration? His ears fell back, and he huffed out, “I’m big boy.”

“Alright, alright. I just didn’t want you to be alone, little kitten…”

“I’m no scaredy cat.” Akihito protested.

__________________

Asami was still not confident. The storm was suppose to start at around 8PM, and potentially go on until late into the night.

“Cancel my schedule from 8PM onwards,”

Kirishima and him had just arrived at Sion and were heading up the private elevator.

“S-sir. Is there any reason, in particular, sir?” Kirishima said, his voice giving away his alarmed tone. It wasn't like his boss to change his schedule so drastically and with little warning.

Asami didn’t respond right away. He knew his secretary had the right to ask for an explanation, especially on matters concerning work and his schedule. But he really didn’t want to explain.

“A personal matter.” Was all he wanted to say about it. He knew for now his answer would be enough to quell his secretary. How long could he keep this up…

The secretary just nodded.

Asami worked, keeping in an eye on storm clouds brewing outside his office window. It had been raining almost all day. Eventually, thunder rumbled, it started a bit earlier than expected. Asami couldn’t stay any longer and headed back home.

By the time he gets back to the apartment, the thunderstorm is in full blast.

“Akihito…” he calls after the cat as he steps inside the apartment and removes his suit jacket. The cat's not rushing to great him as he usually would be, so it's immediately discerning. He sighs, of course, Akihito was still afraid.

He’s about to head towards the bedroom, when he hears a noise coming from the living room. He walks in and looks around, he searches under the furniture for any sign, but everything seems to be in order.

He’s just in the process of leaving the room to search in another- when he hears a meek sounding squeak coming from the side board bureau.

The bureau has a tall sliding shelf, its a good hiding place, Asami thinks. He wouldn’t have thought Akihito would be able to fit.

He slowly slides the door open a crack. It slams shut from the other side, right in Asami’s face. He hears a low growling sound from within.

“Akihito!” Asami chides.

He lowers himself, so he’s on his knees as he tries to open the drawer again. Akihito has somehow managed to squeeze into the space, his eyes wide in fear and his bottom lip quivering in worry.

“Oh- Kitten…Let’s get you out of there.” Asami says softly. Akihito doesn’t immediately move to comply, he is hesitant to leave his little safe space. But then he starts slowly crawling out with Asami’s assistance.

“Come on, it's alright. I’m here… theres nothing to be afraid of, kitten.” Asami encourages.

Just as Akihito’s on his last few steps of carefully exiting the bureau, there’s a particularly loud clap of thunder. He lunges forward, rocking the bureau as he pounces out and in to Asami’s awaiting arms.

Akihito latches himself on to Asami, claws and all, accidentally scrapping him in his desperate struggle. He wriggles around, squeaks and whimpers in the after shock of the thunder and buries himself into Asami’s chest.

Asami’s unfazed by the scratches he’s received, he cradles the back of Akihito’s golden head. He’s not happy to see Akihito so frightened.

“Hey- Are you alright?” Asami says and pats him.

He can feel Akihito’s trembling form winding down in his arms. He stands up, picking Akihito up with him, carrying him princess style towards the bedroom.

He flips the switch for the secret room, it's what he had originally had planned. The soundproofing in the panic room makes it a perfect place. He won’t have to hear the thundering at all.

He drops Akihito down on the bed, and tucks him in. He closes the door to the panic room and climbs in after him, pulling him close.

“Akihito….It’s alright, now. Hmm… let me look at you.” He scoops up Akihito’s chin to examine him. His eyes aren’t wet at least, and he’s no longer trembling. But he’s pouting, and his eyes are big and sad looking. He keeps making little whimpering noises in his throat and and he nuzzles into Asami’s chest.

They sit in silence for a few moments, theres no longer any sign of the thunderstorm outside.

“Hmmm….are you good now, kitten,” Asami says, playfully stroking the boy's blond hair.

He nods meekly. The color is returning to his cheeks, and his eyes are still wide and sweet looking.

“Big boy, eh?” Asami lightly teases him. Akihito puffs his cheeks and downcast his eyes, and Asami chuckles at him. “Where you afraid to be by yourself, hmm?”

Akihito hums in response.

“hmmm…you don’t have to be alone, though, kitten…”

___________________

Now this one, Asami really, really didn’t have a good explanation for Kirishima. But he gave none anyways.

"… I think a Yukata suits you.” Asami says, eyeing Akihito up and down.

Asami thought he looked absolutely delicious in his white Yukata with blue stripes.

“This is a Yukata grandma got for me, we used to wear them in Kanagawa all the time.”

Akihito was having a fond memory of Kiko wearing a pretty emerald floral print Yukata. They’d walk on the beach during the summers, or go on Kiko’s boat. Akihito looked at himself in the mirror, and his eyes landed on Asami next to him. Who is wearing a dark blue Yukata himself.

Asami had came home from work early today, for a special reason. About two weeks had passed since the thunderstorm, and Asami had come up with an idea to help Akihito face his fears. He was taking a bit of a gamble, it could easily backfire on him. He didn’t want to push Akihito, but he thought this plan would be just the push Akihito needed.

Summers in Kanagawa’s were fond memories for the cat, and this would be his first summer without Kiko. There were new memories to make, though...

Asami saw the little cat eyeing him, and he smirks. “Kitten…Do you see something you like..?” He leans in near him.

Akihito blushes and darts his eyes away. He puffs his cheeks, knowing Asami is teasing him.

“Come on, I want to show you something…” Asami says, noticing the time. He takes Akihito hand and leading him out to the balcony. He steers him to the railing and holds on to him from behind. “I have a bit of a surprise for you..”

*CRACK* CRACK*

Sparks of colorful fireworks shot up the sky. 

Asami feels Akihito tense up underneath him, at the initial sound. The fireworks are near by so they are cracking loudly in the sky. And he wonders if he has miscalculated, and Akihito will only be terrified of fireworks now.

But Akihito, only tenses up for a moment, the initial shock is over, and it gives way to pure wonder at the firework display.

He jumps at every loud crack and pop of the fireworks exploding, a clear sign he still not a fan of loud noises. He leans over the railing, his mouth hanging open in awe. His amazement over the display, of how the colors take over the sky is far too mesmerizing, that he forgets temporarily his fear.

He begins pointing towards them, his eyes sparkling with glee and a toothy smile on his face. “Asami, Asami! Look!”

“Yes, I see the fireworks, kitten.” Asami breathes into his ear. "It's not so scary, is it? Sometimes loud noises aren't so bad..sometimes there rather beautiful, just like fireworks." 

Akihito turns around, "Did you plan this?" he asks. The look he gets from Asami answers his question. "they look so beautiful, Asami.."

Asami bends down and kisses Akihito on the nape of his neck. 

“Indeed...” Asami responds. Although he's not looking at the fireworks as he says it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 💖 happy 4th 💥💥🎊


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: I'm doing very important research for my upcoming chapter - *watching youtube compilations of cats sleeping in weird positions* 😻
> 
> I honestly might have to make a drawing of Akihito sleeping just for the memes...

Asami’s little kitten often slept in the oddest of places or in the most peculiar of positions.

He slept everywhere, and on everything, he was very tiny in cat form so he could fit into small places. The coach, the bed, the floor, the window sill were one thing. But Akihito would also sleep in a sink, in a bowl, in a dresser draw, in a vase, on the bookshelf, in a box, on top of a row of books.

One time Suoh had come over and found the cat sleeping on top of a door- how’d he’d get up there?

Kirishima had once found the cat asleep in the closet inside of one of Asami’s shoes!

Sometimes, Suoh and Kirishima would have difficulties finding the cat when they came to the penthouse during lunchtimes to feed it. But eventually, you’d discover Akihito in some odd place. Like he had climbed into a shopping bag in the foyer and had fallen asleep.

Asami had woken up in the mornings, and sometimes the cat would still be curled up in his arms, or maybe on top of his chest. But Asami had also many times woken up to find the cat asleep on top of his head or even on his face.

Cats sleeping everywhere were par for the course. But how Akihito slept when he turned into a boy was a rather entertaining affair for Asami.

Sure they went to bed together, and Asami would keep his boy very close. But how many times had he woken up to find the cat boy in an odd position?

He’d usually find Akihito all stretched out, limbs fully stretched all over the place, taking up half of the bed.

Sometimes he’d sleep on his back, belly up with his arms over his head, stretching his whole body. Sometimes he’d be half on top of Asami sometimes not.

His kitten would sometimes curl up his hands and have them flat against his chest, just as a cat does the same thing with its paws. Or sometimes his tongue would be sticking out the tiniest bit.

When he slept, he’d either be looking very serene and peaceful, like a sweet little perfect angel. Or else he’d be snoring a bit and drooling down the side of his face. There was no in-between. Although it was still adorable and it would make Asami laugh to see his kitten looking so silly.

Akihito would dream while he slept too, sometimes Asami wondered about what.

He’d make little groaning or whining sounds, or he’d slap his lips together. While he slept, he’d move his arm around as if he was scratching something.

Yes. Asami’s little kitten had a funny way of sleeping. Although he had never slept like this before…

Asami had woken up with a sudden feeling of something heavy against his chest, constricting his movements. When he opened his eyes, he registered that his kitten was laying directly on top of him. Akihito's legs were straddling him on either side of his waist. And his head was right below his chin, resting on his pecs.

It wasn’t yet dawn, but I was about 5 o'clock in the morning.

“Kitten?” Asami, strokes the boys face. Akihito's face scrunches up as he wakes up. Drowsy hazel eyes open slowly, and he turns his head over. “Kitten?” Asami says again.

“hmmm….what..,” Akihito says half yawning, he makes a little whining noise as he’s not liking being woken up.

“Kitten..what are you doing?” Asami asks he’s referring to the fact that Akihito is sleeping directly on top of him.

“Trying to sleep…” Akihito responds so matter-of-factly.

Asami laughs. “I can see that kitten, but why are you sleeping on top of me?”

Akihito takes a moment to respond. He still in the process of waking up and is struggling to keep his eyes open. “You smell bad.” He says bluntly.

HUH? Asami blinks in disbelief. He smelled bad. He self-consciously sniffs himself but doesn’t smell anything. He showered this morning. He was in the office all day, nor had he worked up a sweat or anything.

“I-I smell bad?” He responds, still very confused. “Do you want me to take a shower or something?”

Akihito raises his head off Asami’s chest, “NOOO,” He says it as if he’s been insulted. “Then I have to start all over again!” He continues and rests his head back on Asami’s chest.

Start all over again? What? What is it that the kitten smells? Asami’s mind starts going over his day. Had he done something different today that he usually didn’t do? He was in the office, he had a meeting with a client, he went to the club, and the warehouse.

Wait a minute. He did have a meeting with a female client today. And now that he’s thinking about it, he does remember that the women had a particularly heavy and pungent-smelling perfume, that even he had thought was very offensive to the nose. Is that what the cat was smelling?

“Do I smell like perfume, kitten?” He asks

Akihito whines, “bad perfume…”

“I see…I’m sorry, kitten…and you're trying to make it better.” Akihito hums in response, more or less closing his eyes again ready to go back to sleep “..with your own smell..hmm? I see I see, do you not like other people's smell on me?”

Akihito only shook his head, and Asami plants a kiss on the top of his head, letting the little kitten drift back to sleep.

A territorial little cat, wasn’t he? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Akihito marking his territory 😏


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the shortish chapter, and i'm apologizing in advance for the cliff hanger I am leaving it on
> 
> i'll be out with an update soon, i promise!

“Be a good kitty today,” Asami says to the cream-colored cat on his way out for work.

Akihito meows in response. After Asami leaves, Akihito waits by the door for a bit. Asami’s smell is still fresh in the air there for a few moments longer.

He is already missing him…

He begins to think about what he’ll do today. Maybe he’ll take a nap on the window sill later. Or he’ll climb up the bookcase again today. Maybe he’ll stare out the window for a while. Then perhaps he’ll pounce on a toy. Or he’ll wait at the door for Suoh or Kirishima to come. Or he’ll pay with his new toy…

…he had done all those things already this entire week.

He was starting to run out of new ideas. He wants a bit more of an adventure.

Akihito begins to grumble. Even though Kiko was sick, and there was less to do in Hokkaido - at least Kiko would always be around or Nurse Sana. Akihito had never been left alone like this, not for so many hours and hours on end, day after day. With nothing and no one to interact with.

It had been fine in the beginning, when he was still exploring his new digs. But he had gone through the whole apartment multiple times now. He was starting to feel very bored at the house.

And when Asami was home, it would be late, and he’d want to go to bed. It had felt like in recent days Asami was even more busier than usual, and they interacted less than normal… Akihito was feeling…

… lonely.

Even when Kirishima or Suoh came in the late afternoons to give him lunch, it still wasn’t enough. They usually didn’t even have time to play with him, as they were expected to go back to Sion.

Akihito wanted to go to Sion…

_____________

Suoh was about to bust through the doors of a meeting when Kirishima stopped him. The severe expression of Suoh's face told Kirishima that something urgent must have come up. But, Asami was in the middle of an important meeting with a client, and he had asked not to be disturbed.

“What is it, Suoh,” Kirishima asked, he would decide if it was important enough to disturb the boss.

“Kirishima…It’s important!” Suoh says

“Suoh, spit it out!”

“I-Its Akihito, Kirishima! Hh-e got out somehow!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh-oh 😔😔😔
> 
> but its what asami deserves for being a butt head


	38. Chapter 38

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll try to get another one out by tomorrow, but we'll see!

Suoh happily goes up the elevator to Asami's apartment. The task of feeding little Akihito has become the highlight of his day. However, he has to share it with Kirishima.

As the elevator dings to the top floor, and he steps out. His face immediately falls. He takes out the gun in his holster underneath his suit jacket. He brandishes it like the professional he is.

The door to Asami’s apartment is ajar. It's immediately not a good sign. Intruders? An enemy?

He calls for backup on the secure radio line, just in case he’ll need it. However, he doesn’t hear anything in the apartment. He steps into the open door, keeping his ear to the ground. He may be a large man, but he can be silently deadly.

He clears each room as he continues inside the apartment. But he does not hear anything, nor does anything else seem out of place. Once he’s done clearing the apartment, and there's no sign of an intruder, he goes back to the main hall. The door doesn’t look forced, nor are there signs the lock was picked.

Then it hits him like a ton of bricks. Where’s Akihito?

_____________________

Kirishima wasn’t sure what to do with this information.

Suoh only came back to Sion after a thorough search, and he has two men at the apartment now looking around the vicinity of the apartment complex.

Would a missing cat _typically_ warrant interrupting an urgent meeting with a top client? Well, of course not. A typical secretary would say the news could wait 20 minutes.

But Kirishima was not a typical secretary, nor was his boss a _typical_ man. So the news could not wait. 

He wasn’t sure how Asami would react to it. It was clear from the very beginning he was oddly attached to the cat. No. Not just attached. Completely cat crazy was more like it. He _bought_ a veterinarian clinic just for his cat, for god sake. A deal Kirishima himself was helping facilitate. Yes, Asami was potentially losing it over a pet cat. A fact that had been the topic of office gossip for the last few weeks.

In any case, Kirishima had calculated four potential outcomes.

First: If Kirishima interrupts the meeting to relay the news: Asami might be royally pissed that Kirishima barged into the meeting just to relay such trivial information about his pet cat. That's what the old Asami would undoubtedly do. And hey, maybe he hadn’t gone crazy!

Two: If Kirishima interrupts the meeting to relay the news: Asami might be royally pissed because- well, his precious Akihito was missing!!

Three: If Kirishima waits until after the meeting to relay the news: Asami might be royally pissed because - “Why the hell didn’t you tell me earlier that my precious Akihito was missing!”. A potential even madder Asami!

Or Four: If Kirishima waits until after the meeting to relay the news: Asami might be royally indifferent because it's just a pet- and he’d say something like go post some signs up about a missing cat.

Okay, that last one was just a pipe dream. But a man can hope his boss hadn’t utterly lost his mind in the span of a few weeks all because of a fluffy- albeit adorable kitten.

Kirishima's odds weren’t excellent. No matter what, his boss was probably going to be pissed. So he bit the bullet and interrupted the meeting, somewhere in the back of Kirishima’s mind he knew his boss would want to know. He'd rather be relaying bad information on time, then bad news late.

Asami gave him a look as he entered the office. He probably knew that it couldn’t be good news if Kirishima was entering. The secretary bowed lowly apologizing for his intrusion, to both his boss and the client in the office with him. They were sitting in the sitting area of Asami’s office, both pouring over a drink.

Kirishima goes to his boss, leans over him, and whisper ever so quietly- “It’s Akihito. He’s gotten out of the apartment, sir. He’s missing.”

Now, under normal circumstances, Asami was a man who hardily ever displayed any emotions. Even when getting bad news, he’d hardly ever flinched, that how resolute Asami was. To show any such response was not his style. He was tepid and always wore a steely expression even in times of high stress.

Only those very close to him, could recognize the signs. The slightest of response’s, the subtle twitch of the brow, the crease on a forehead, or how his tone would raise an octave higher, or there’d be a glint in his eyes that said it all. That was how you knew he was _really_ pissed, that he was taking the information badly.

Under normal circumstances, he would certainly always act very unbending, especially in the presence of others. The important client was still in the room. Which is why Asami's reaction- although it was surprising he reacted at all, was so very unexpected.

This was not normal circumstances. Akihito’s name had been mention. Which could only mean all restraint and reason were completely thrown out the window.

“WHAT?!” He turned his face around to look at Kirishima. His face fell, eyes widen at the bombshell.

Yep. Asami had really lost it. But that was neither here nor there for Kirishima. The man was still his boss.

Asami, without an inch of hesitation, turns to the important client, who looks taken aback at Asami’s sharp reaction. He says in the calmest and sincerest manner, “I’m very sorry. Something important just came up, we’re going to have to reschedule.” He stands up and makes a b-line for the door.

Kirishima is dumbstruck. He didn’t calculate such a severe reaction. He just bows meekly to the client and follows Asami out the door.

“What happened?” Asami questions, his tone cold as ice. He does not turn to look at Kirishima and keeps walking at a hurried pace towards the elevator.

“Suoh went to the apartment to give Akihito his usual feeding but when he got to the apartment the door was open. Sir. Is it possible the cat might have opened the door himself?”

Asami stops mid hallway. His mind is retracing his movements this morning. 

He closes his eyes in dismay.

He forgot to lock the apartment door today.

How could he be so stupid? Of course, the cat could open doors!! He steps forward towards the elevator.

He checks on his watch. It’s just after 1 o’clock. Akihito will transform before 5 o’clock. They have less than 4 hours to find the cat before he transforms, and god knows what will happen - all hell could break loose 

The two men step into the elevator. 

“Kirishima. Round up the men.” 

Yep. Asami's lost it!


	39. Chapter 39

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The start of Akihito's little adventure outside the penthouse!
> 
> Hopefully will post again tomorrow 💕
> 
> Also I am gonna be hitting 800 kudos soon. UGH omg you guys are amazing! 💕💕 I honestly can't believe my silly little cat story resonated with people! It's been honestly the highlight of my days to come on here and read everybody's kind messages. It honestly means so much to me and keeps me wanting to write so Thanks so much ❤️❤️

The doorman to Asami’s apartment complex was in his usual place in the front office on the ground floor.

The day to day of being a doorman for a crime lord was actually very boring. Which is why he thought nothing when he heard the ding of the elevator opening just behind his desk, and yet no one immediately came out into the lobby.

Nor did he hear the pitter-patter of tiny paws walking across the lobby towards the front entrance. Nor did he look up at the right moment as the handicap button was getting pushed by a leaping cream-colored cat. The cat who was reveling in all the buttons he had gotten to push today- in the elevator and now the handicap button.

No. The doorman only looked up until he heard the door opening up, and he instinctively looked up to greet whoever it was entering the building. Only to see the tail-end of the little cream color kitten making its ways out of the building.

The doorman shot up from his seat.

Was that - Oh, NO!

In a panic, he scampered around the reception desk and ran outside, chasing after the cat. Knowing very well, who’s cat that belonged to. He also made the mistake of not calling it in, through his radio since he had rushed out of the lobby as fast as humanly possible.

“KITTY!” The doorman yelled after him

He was still running after the cat when Suoh had probably just pulled up to the garage entrance. 

_______________________

Akihito sauntered happily out of the building following his little pink nose. He certainly didn’t hear anyone chasing after him, and kept puttering around the slightly busy sidewalk.

There was so much to look at, and many people were walking around. He had been out in the city a few times with Kiko, on a leash or in her arms. In both Tokyo and in Kanagawa, it was quite some time ago.

Although he wasn’t thinking about that, only that he was a big boy now and that surely he could go to Sion. If he could do this, then maybe Asami would let him come to Sion all the time. He wanted to prove he was a big boy now.

He was following some people, and he stopped and sat down at the edge of the sidewalk where there was a crosswalk. He remembered that once Kiko had told him about the zebra prints on the ground.

“You have to look both ways before you cross the street!” She had said. He had also remembered other things, red means stop, green means go.

He sat patiently on the curb, waiting for the little green person to show up, and then he merrily crossed the street after looking both ways and following some other people. His tail was high in the air. He was so proud of his little accomplishment. He had crossed the street all by himself!

_Wait until Asami sees me, he’ll think I am such a grown-up!_

He looked around and saw some people turning to look at him. They sounded very impressed with him too.

So he continued along, he was still able to sniff out Asami’s scent, his objective still very clear in his little head. He’d make it to Sion, and he couldn’t wait to see the look of surprise on Asami face when he’d waltz straight to the man's office.

Yes. Little Akihito had never been so resolved to complete his goal, and— OH was that a squirrel! 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that poor poor doorman 😔 I would not like to be him.
> 
> 😽😽
> 
> 🚦....😸
> 
> 🐿......‼️🐈


	40. Chapter 40

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER 40 🎊🎊
> 
> 😅😅 omg i can't believe i've written this much in like less than two months! I am on page 89 of my documents 😳 can u believe 😳 (and they haven't even had sex yet 😱😱)
> 
> I promise this is the last chapter before it's resolved! (you must know i would NEVER EVER seriously hurt cute little kitty Akihito! he will definitely cry a few times throughout the series thou but Asami will kill anyone that makes him cry 🔫 😤) 
> 
> But for now. He's having a grand old time chasing squirrels! So don't worry for him!

Okay, so not all the men were gathered.

A search party of about 30 men were sent out and split into groups of 3.

They weren’t given details only a picture of the cat, and Kirishima promised two million yen, or about twenty thousand dollars, to the group that found the cat before 5 pm.

Suoh, Kirishima, and Asami went back to the apartment. They watched the video surveillance of the hallway outside of Asami’s apartment, showing the door opening and the cat stepping out of the apartment.

The cat only curiously looked around, sniffing and looking up and down the hallway before he waltzes determinedly over to the elevator.

They saw the tiny cream cat pounce up on his hind legs and call for the elevator. Then he sat and waited patiently for the elevator doors to open. He reached up again when he got inside and pushed another button that was for the ground floor. Kirishima and Suoh almost keeled over witnessing that.

How the heck had he learned to do that?!

Asami, of course, didn’t seem to be too shocked at the cat's ability.

Then the cat made his way through the lobby, without the doorman taking notice as he pushed another button and skipped out of the building. Another video showed him heading west, and the doorman running after him.

The doorman returned, having lost sight of the cat. He last saw him crossing the street and heading towards the park, going after a squirrel.

Oh, how low that poor man bowed in front of Asami-sama for losing track of the fluffy kitten.

Asami was, fortunately, acting very calm…frighteningly calm. Like the eye of the storm, kind of calm.

He was adamant the cat _had_ to be found before 5 pm. Why he had a strict time frame, nobody knew. Kirishima only thought it was because it would be harder to find the cat once it got dark.

He only knew he didn’t want to see what would happen if 5 o’clock rolled around, and the cat was still not found.

A few teams were looking through the park across from Asami’s apartment complex. It seemed quite in an obvious place for the cat to wander into.

The problem was, it wasn’t just any park. It was Hibiya Park in Chiyoda district.

A 40 acres park!

There was a lot of ground to cover.

And a lot of potential worries. The longer he was missing, the more possibility for trouble. The cat could get run over by a car, which was a considerable fear. Since the surrounding area was heavy traffic-wise.

Akihito could get catnapped! By some stranger who wanted to take it home thinking it was a stray.

It could go deeper into the city, wandering around aimlessly.

What if Akihito strolled into a construction site and got hurt?

And of course, the most significant of concern was if he transformed, but that was only Asami’s private worry. A naked cat boy tattering around Tokyo would definitely stick out, to say the least…

What would he say to Kirishima and Suoh if 5 o’clock rolled around? He’d have to come clean about everything. He’d probably have to tell his legion of men about it…They’d have to continue the search into the night for him.

So much for keeping Akihito a secret….

So far, there only lead was that he must be in the park. With squirrels and birds in the area, the flow of people walking there, and its wide-open spaces and the many places where the cat might explore. There were fountains and ponds, gardens, and walkways.

At 3:15 pm they got a call, from one of the teams who were in the northern quadrant of the park. They reported that some teenagers had spotted the cat. The teenagers told them a sweet cream color kitten had sat next to them on a park bench, not to long ago. He had wanted some of there food- which they happily obliged. They said the cat had sat next to them for a time, wanting belly rubs and attention. Which they all happily obliged. But then it got annoyed when one of them tried to pick him up, and it scampered off into the park. It had apparently made there day, and they were also trying to search for it.

Twenty minutes later, they get another report—this time coming from the opposite southwest corridor. The men had finally spotted the cream-colored cat! He was drinking from a fountain. Kirishima and Asami stepped on it, but when Asami arrived, it was already too late. The cat had already disappeared and made its escape. 

In the chase that had commenced once he was spotted, one of the men had taken a nose dive into the fountain, and the other two had chased Akihito only deeper into the park before losing sight of it. 

Apparently, they thought the cat had seemed to think it was some kind of game.

It was nearing 4 o’clock, which meant they’d only had an hour to find him.

“Alright. The three of us need to split up. I’ll take this end of the park, Kirishima you take the car and drive up to the north quadrant and Suoh will take the middle quadrant. Akihito doesn’t recognize these other people, but he’ll recognize us and hopefully come if he hears us calling. Keep your phones on you and radio in if you see something.” Asami ordered his two loyal guards. He was in total battle mode, calm and collective.

They split up. Asami started near the fountain and headed in the direction Akihito had last been seen, calling for him the entire time.

 _When I find you little kitten, you’ll be in so much trouble._ He thinks.


	41. Chapter 41

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me; almost finished at 12AM, I guess i'll just stay up to finish it! No problem!   
> Me; Almost 4 AM, and i'v changed a billion things and added a bunch of stuff i shouldn't have: Y-Yippie i-i am 🤤 finished 😪.....😴
> 
> I was just too excited and i made it longer then i intended it to be. So here's an extra-long chapter!

Staying on course was hard for our little kitten.

There were too many amazing distractions.

First, it was the squirrel, which led him to the park. He attempts to climb a tree chasing after it (cats do love high places), it did take some effort getting down, and Akihito decided not to push his luck and climb another one.

People were out walking their dogs. He did his best to avoid dogs. As he heard, cats were not supposed to like dogs. But he didn’t seem to mind them.

Although one barked had at him loudly and sent him tattering away to hide under a park bench for a bit.

There were a lot of people about. In his short time being outside, many strangers tried to pick him up. It was getting a little annoying getting lifted up. Perhaps he just wasn’t used to others, especially others that he didn’t know, touching him in that way.

He didn’t mind when they cooed at him, pet his belly, and scratched his back. But he was getting a little annoyed at how many times he was getting picked up.

There was a group of teenagers that spoiled him blind. The four of them pet him like crazy, shared some of their food with him, and took tons of photos of him. He had never received such attention.

They did try to pick him up, and Akihito didn’t like that anymore, so he wiggled his body to get out of their grasp and then moved along.

There were food stands and a little market. He sat by one of the food stands and watched a man frying up something that smelled delicious. The nice old man that was cooking looked at him and gave him a piece after Akihito gave him puppy dog eyes.

When he got thirsty, he drank from a fountain. Some people by the fountain tried to pick up while he was drinking, but he dashed away at the last second, having seen the man's reflection in the fountain water. 

He was having such a good time. He hadn’t been out in the open like this for such a long time. Not even in Hokkaido, but back when he lived in Kanagawa with Kiko, and he’d walk along the beaches in human and in cat form.

Kiko had a rule back then. “If you can no longer see the house, then you’ve strayed too far, Akihito.” She had said. Akihito suddenly remembered that.

And he looked around. He could no longer see the apartment building. In fact, he wasn’t sure which one it was. There were a lot of very tall buildings that lined the park, and they all looked the same.

His heart sank. Oh no.

His aim to go to Sion had utterly fallen apart! He had gotten so caught up and excited about the park and all the new things that he had forgotten his original goal entirely.

Now he definitely could no longer track Asami to Sion by his scent. And as he looked around at all the buildings… he wasn’t sure which one was the one he called home.

Uh-oh. He had strayed too far. And now that he thought about it, he had been out to long. What time was it?

He looked at the position of the sun. It was getting lower.

Akihito’s pitiful whinny noises began.

______________________________

It was reaching a critical point. 4:30 was about to roll around, and no one had reported anything new. The sun was getting lower and lower.

It would be cold tonight, it was still winter after all.

Suoh and Kirishima were about to meet up in the center part of the park, with Asami joining them shortly afterward. He would tell them the truth then, he had decided. They needed to be prepared for when the sun went down. He owed them that, before things really went out of control.

He was trying to remain calm, but his stomach turned in uneasiness. How could he control the storm if Akihito got exposed? His mind already forming ideas.

Frame it as a hoax, someone with a very good cosplay. Asami had connections in the media that could shush it all up. Newspapers could be bribed not to run specific stories.

How many of his own people would he have to tell? He thought as he tallied the numbers up. Kirishima. Suoh. The men currently looking for Akihito now. A few of the IT boys at HQ who would probably be needed to monitor social media while the search was still ongoing.

What if the police got involved? That might be a lot of bribes, but ultimately doable. But what if even higher up’s got involved? What if government officials got involved? Actually he had a lot of those under his thumb, he could probably handle that.

What if it blew up in a manner of a few hours? He wishes he had made more arrangements and contingency plans, in case something like this had happened.

What if he had to break Akihito out of some facility - which he would do in a heartbeat.

He’d probably have to call in a lot of favors. Or else he’d have to break out that blackmail file he had on almost every major figure in Japan, one that he had been saving for a rainy day.

Heads would roll. Blood would spill. War would probably be inevitable.

What kind of spiraling mess would it all cause, all because he hadn’t locked the door this morning?!

He was starting to feel like he had failed Kiko. He had barely been taking care of Akihito for a month, and things would already fall in to utter chaos. 

While Asami’s thoughts started to spiral out of control with worry and regret, a call came in on the secure radio line.

Akihito was spotted in the back of one of the park cafes.

“Don’t scare him off, I’m coming to your location.” He responded to the radio.

The cafe was a 10-minute walk from where he was. He’d be there in 3.

_______________________

_Oh no, oh no, oh no. I-I am lost, aren’t I?_ Akihito thought as he puttered around. It was hard not to feel a little hopeless right now.

He had tried to retrace his steps, but nothing was looking familiar to him.

All he wanted was to be next to Asami, but now - what if he never saw Asami again?

The thought made him whine, sadly.

It was only a matter of time before he transformed. He knew enough that it was considered a bad thing for strangers to see him in his human form. And there were strangers all over the place! He was starting to regret everything. Going to the park was not worth this.

He was hungry now, and his fur was getting dirty from all the rolling around and playing in the ground and dirt. No matter how many times he licked himself, it wouldn’t go away.

Would Asami even know he was missing yet? Surely when he got home, he would notice…., wouldn’t he? But that could be hours away, and he was going to transform soon!

His ears went flat against his head, and he howled.

He had really messed up this time. Would Asami even be able to find him? Would Asami even look for him —

_No, no, don’t think of such things! Asami will find me._

He found himself behind a cafe that was closed for the season since no one seemed to be around. There were some cardboard boxes, by a trash bin in the back alleyway, perhaps he could hide. Plus, it made him feel slightly better to be a box.

He was about to sit in one of the boxes when three men came into the alleyway. Something about them Akihito immediately didn’t like, they were big and ugly looking, and they were staring him down in a way that made Akihito feel uncomfortable. But they were blocking the only potential escape route.

“We found it!” One of the men said. “We’re going to be rich, boys! Make sure it doesn’t escape. I wonder who’s cat this belongs to? Probably someone the boss is trying to strike a deal with, eh?”

“Must be someone pretty important if the boss is going to these lengths trying to find it. I heard he’s with the search party too.” Another one said

Akihito definitely didn’t like the sound of it, and he didn’t like how they crowded over him. He darted under the dumpster, growling at them.

“Oh! It's okay! No need to be scared, kitty!” Another one of them said. It wasn’t reassuring.

The third got down on its knees and threw a hand underneath the dumpster, trying to scoop Akihito out. “Here. Kitty, Kitty, please come out, Kitty, Kitty!”

Akihito hissed when he got to close, but the man continued his probing, so Akihito pounced on top of the hand. Biting down on one of the man's fingers and scratching him with his claws at the same time.

The man whisked his hand away, “OW! He bit me! Stupid cat!”

Akihito growled and hissed again, brandishing his tiny fangs in full force. He was putting on a brave front. But the truth was he was getting panicky. He could transform very soon, how long could he hid under the dumpster for. With these bullies on top of him, he didn’t know what to do.

The man sent his hand in again, rougher and more determined, and Akihito swatted his hand away again with another scratch. “Come here, you stupid cat!” The man was growing more and more agitated, as he continues to try to snatch the cat up from under the dumpster.

“Akihito!” The baritone voice hit Akihito’s ears, perking his downcast ears up immediately. It was like instant relief! He sprung out from under the trash bin, finding the courage to pass the three men.

He gave a chorus of meows as if to say, “I’m here, I’m here!”

And there just past the three men at the end of the alleyway was Asami, standing there in all his glory. In his nice three-piece suit and his perfectly styled hair, and those golden eyes were taking in Akihito as the cat practically skips towards him.

Akihito’s halfway there, when Asami put his hands on his hips. “You are in so much trouble, young man!” He says, pointing a finger at the cat. Akihito halts. “Do you have any idea what time it is?! I was worried out of my mind!!” Asami continues his tone scolding.

Akihito stops and sits down, eyes cast down, and his ears go flat on his head, and he gives the softest of “Meows”. He knows he’s done something bad....

…..

The three guards in the alleyway after witnessing Asami Ryuichi, powerful business mogul and kingpin of Japan's underworld, scolding a tiny fluffy kitten as if it was a teenager that's missed curfew, in unison; 

“Huh?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Asami when he finds out those goons called Akihito stupid and were harassing him 🔫😠


	42. Chapter 42

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took a little break! My parents are moving into a new place (near me - I cry! haha) and i've been helping them out during the times that I usually have blocked out for writing. The chapter is a little bit longer than usual. so I hope that makes up for it!
> 
> I am about to have 900 kudos - what the heck. wasn't i just saying thanks for 800! 🐈🐈 Aki cat thanks you! 💕💕😻
> 
> Was thinking about doing some little drawings of Aki-cat for fun. I am not a professional artist, but i can do some drawings..we'll see what I can come up with. 💖

Asami sees his little kitten bursting towards him.

First, and most importantly- Asami sees that the cat is alive and seemingly unharmed, and is still in cat form. 

Relief washes over him.

Second, Although the kitten is alive and unharmed, he’s looking a little distressed. Perhaps it's the way his hair is standing on ends, and his usually kept and clean fur is lined with dirt. His paws are muddy. And his eyes although in absolute bliss at see Asami, look dewy-eyed and wild in fear.

Third, Asami notices that the cat was under a dumpster. What was his precious little Akihito doing there?

Third he notices his own men, crowded around the dumpster. Clearly not doing what he had ordered when he called in through the radio, that they weren’t to approach and scare off Akihito.

He had decided on his way here he needed to reprimand Akihito first. He wanted to remain firm on that end. Akihito had done something very bad. Something very dangerous, something that had put himself in potentially serious danger, he couldn’t let it slide.

He knew already that he probably wouldn’t be able to muster being upset at the cat for long. So he has to get it out now while he still has the will power to do so.

Even though a part of him just completely melts when he sees those jewel like hazel eyes sparkling at him.

“You are in so much trouble young man! Do you have any idea what time it is?! I was worried out of my mind!!” He finger wags at Akihito, and the hands on his hip were almost instinctive.

Akihito halts and his guilty eyes cast down, and he meows pathetically.

Asami’s entire will to discipline his kitten just completely shatters at a simple meow. Just as he knew it would.

  
His worry and irritability just melts away and all he wants is his kitten in his arms safe and sound. His shoulder slump and his eyes soften at the dejected look in Akihito eyes.

“Akihito…” he says ever so softly, theres a bit of chiding in his tone. He’s not mad. Never mad at his little kitten. “Come here.” And he beacons him over with his hands.

Akihito is off to a running start again and he pounces up high and gracefully into Asami’s arms. Asami scoops him up so the cat is against his chest. His ears are flat against his head and Asami instantly notices how his lithe body is trembling in his arms. The cat bury his face into Asami's neck, and his front paws are practically wrapped around the older man’s neck. He meows and makes whining noise, and each little sad noises coming from him are so utterly heart breaking.

Asami strokes in a sweeping motion down the cats back to soothe him. He turns on his heel and gives the three men an icy look - he’ll deal with them later… especially since he knows he’ll get the low down from the cat's mouth later.

The crime lord doesn’t have time to deal with them, he is still on the clock. He has to get Akihito back to the apartment before sundown. He thinks he might have enough time to walk to the apartment but as he turns around he sees Kirishima and Suoh have just arrived with the car.

Both look utterly relieved and Suoh even asks if Akihito’s okay as they get in to the car and head back to Asami’s apartment. Akihito doesn’t move a muscle and doesn't want to be let go at all, latching on to Asami as if his life depended on it. Although he is relatively silent during the short car ride back to the apartment.

They get to the apartment, and Asami sends Suoh and Kirishima home. Asami hurries into the elevator, just at the last whisper of sundown. Just as he’s closing the door to penthouse Akihito transforms right in his arms.

His willowy arms wrap completely around Asami’s neck and his slender legs dangle a few inches off the ground. He slumps into Asami still holding on tightly, his sudden transformation catches the older man off guard that he almost stumbles. So he holds him there at the entrance.

“Kitten…”

He gets only a whimpering sound in response that divulges into a crying wail.

“Ohhhh. Akihito!” Asami says feeling the boys tears on his collar. “No. No, theres no need for that.”

Asami’s not great when it comes to tears. Even less so when Akihito’s involved. He’s still not quite sure why Akihito’s crying, did something happen, was he scared, is he feeling guilty. Or perhaps it’s a combination of the three.

“Akihito…you must know I am not mad. I just don’t want anything to happen to you. It’s very scary to be out on your own like that.” He arches his back so that the kittens feet plop on the ground. Although, Akihito’s standing on his own but he shows no sign of letting go. “Are you hurt?” Asami continues when all he gets is more bawls of crying, and he wonders if maybe he’s missed something

Asami holds back and looks down at Akihito scooping his chin up so he can look properly at him. His blond hair is clumped up with dirt, and his face and body are also dirty. The cat ears atop his blond head are flat against his head. His eyes are big and watery, and his lovely pink lips are trembling in his distress. Even while crying his eyes out he’s still so pretty looking.

“Ohh. Sweet cat. It’s alright now. What ever it is you don’t need to worry your pretty little head.” Asami uses his thumb to whip some tears away.

He kicks off his shoes and is able to tear his jacket away, he brings Akihito closer and lifts up his legs so they hook around his waist on either side and he walks the two of them to the bathroom.

The kitten needs a bath, even if he might protest the notion.

Of course he seems to tighten his hold on Asami and digs his head into his chest, as the water begins to run and he whines miserably.

But Asami has an idea, that the cat might be amenable towards.

________________

The older man shampoo’s Akihito’s blond hair, cleaning out the dirt and scratching his head.

Akihito’s looks up at him with his big sad puffy eyes, he’s calmed down a little. He’s no longer gripping on to Asami’s neck but he’s been glued to the mans chest since the moment Asami took off his clothes and declared they’d shower together.

He had a feeling this tactic might work…

He thought Akihito might like being tangled up together in the shower. Asami wrapped his own arms around the kitten holding him around his waist. While Akihito rests a cheek on Asami’s pec. The two were wet and soapy now, cleaning each other off with a loofah.

Since the cat had barely complained, Asami figured this would have to be implemented for all future bath times...

“Kitten…What happen? What where you thinking, leaving the apartment?” He questioned as the water rinses off the shampoo in Akihito’s hair.

Akihito bit his lips and cast his eyes down. He turned his head down, and nuzzled Asami chest some more.

“I-I just wanted t-…to see you” He says in-between sniffles and hiccups, speaking in to Asami chest.

“Oh kitten..”

“I-I just wanted t-to see you so-so bad.” Now Akihito was back to full fledge crying and rested his wet cheek on Asami’s chest.

“Kitten…Do you miss me when I go to work?” Asami questioned looking down at his golden head.

“I-I don’t like being left a-alone fo-for so long…” He continued through more cries and sniffles.

It pricked a bit to hear that. Of course, he wouldn’t like it. There were warning signs before his little escape that Asami had not seen or generally ignored.

All those times he had seen Akihito waiting in the front hall for him, no longer seemed as heartwarming as he had once thought it was. Akihito was doing it because he was waiting all day - for him.

Kiko’s words in her last letter rang in his ear, “You could be his only friend,” He didn’t have anyone else. He was used to having Kiko around him all day long.

Now the crime lord was feeling pretty guilty for leaving him. How could he have not seen it before? He is still only a kitten, after all.

Asami stroked Akihito’s back, trying to soothe him. But it was still worrisome that he could get out on his own and had tried to do something reckless. Even if his reasoning and his intentions behind it were pure.

“Oh Kitten…I am sorry, Kitten. I didn’t know you were feeling lonely…but Sion is all the way downtown. You would have never made it all the way there by your self. You didn’t even know where you were going? What would I have done if you went missing!” Asami said, stroking the boy's face and his wet ears.

That seemed to have only further upset the cat because his eyes closed, and more tears streamed from his face.

“I-I know. I-I’m j-just a stupid cat!” He wails.

Asami eyes widen at that, he scooped his chin up, “Where did you hear that?! Who told you that?!” He questioned staunchly. 

He had never heard the cat use that word before. He must have heard it from someone else, and oh was Asami already quickly plotting the demise of whoever was responsible.

Akihito was sniffling too hard to answer.

“No. Kitten, you're not a stupid cat. You’re the smartest, prettiest, and sweetest little kitty.”

With that, Asami scooped up his chin and plants a tiny peck on his little pink lips.

Asami had been awake that time Akihito had kissed him, and our little kitty had done it multiple times since then. He’d peck a “sleeping” Asami on the lips and then turning around and go back to sleep as if it never happened. But this time, it was Asami initiating the kiss.

Akihito froze. He blinked several times, his eyes wide. As if he hadn’t quite understood what had happened yet.

Did he just short circuit?


	43. Chapter 43

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drew this last night (while i should have been working on wicked....opps hopefully it'll be out by tomorrow 😅😅)
> 
> The visual of Aki's little tongue sticking out while he sleeps, and Asami waking up to find Aki sleeping on his face was too much for me to ignore! 😻😻

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> these two panels are basically a summary of this fic


	44. Chapter 44

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> back at it again 🐈💕

The next morning Kirishima arrived at Sion early. As he always did.

Kirishima was a very particular man. He was always efficient, tidy, systematic about his life and schedule. His bookish exterior, perceptive character, and detail-oriented personality made him the perfect personal secretary in the business sector. 

While his background in the military, including being an ace sharpshooter, made him also uniquely qualified to be _not just_ a personal secretary. It was for these reasons that Asami Ryuichi hired him.

They had worked together for more than a decade. He didn’t see himself as just a personal secretary but rather as his right-hand man. He knew everything there was to know about the man, all his secrets, all the skeletons in his closet.

Which is why Asami’s behavior recently was mildly concerning for Kirishima. He couldn’t understand what had happened to his boss. His odd behavior had all started as soon as that cat became involved.

What was it about the cat that had caused his change? Was it because it was Kiko cat that he was so - so obsessed with it, so distracted by it.

Last week Kirishima had even caught Asami looking at pictures of the cat on his cellphone, during a meeting no less! He could not understand where it was coming from. Asami had never cared for animals before. In fact, he never cared much about anything at all- only his work.

Was this some kind of midlife crisis or something?

Asami's reaction to the missing cat was the final straw, a testament of how far Asami would go for his pet cat. He gathered his own men to make a search party for it. He was willing to drop a considerable reward for whoever could find the cat.

It was beyond, beyond, beyond anything a typical cat owner would do. Was Kirishima supposed to just accept this as Asami’s new normal?

Kirishima meets Suoh in the office. Both arrived early before the boss. Suoh would sweep the office for bugs and listening devices, as was their normal security precautions. They’d prepare things so everything would be organized and in order before the boss arrived.

The two hadn’t really had the opportunity to discuss what had happened yesterday except for sharing glances at each other, and knowing looks. But now, after meeting up at Sion and taking the limo around to Asami’s apartment, they could finally discuss in some more detail.

“I don’t know what to think, Suoh…” Kirishima begins. “Yesterday was… well...It was something!”

Suoh seemed all to calm about the entire situation while he drove to Asami's apartment. “I don’t know Kirishima, if I had half the resources at Asami-sama’s disposal, then why not use it to search for your missing cat.”

“You can’t be serious, Suoh?!” Kirishima dismayed, raising an eyebrow at his long time co-worker.

“It’s not easy looking for a missing cat! Especially in Tokyo where there are a ton of strays. It could get hit by a car! And it’s a cute cat. Someone could have it picked it up. It’s probably not tagged or anything, so then it might not ever get found.”

“Still! Don’t you think he was going a little too far?!” Although Kirishima understood some of Suoh's points, even he could admit that it would be awful if something happened to it. Even Kirishima had a bit of a soft spot for the little thing.

“Kirishima, how can you possibly be worried about him going to extreme measures when that cat freakin took an elevator down to the lobby! I couldn’t believe it!” Suoh said, remembering when they had watched the video of the cat reaching up on its hind legs to click the lobby button. “That's one smart kitty.” He continued.

“That _was_ rather impressive, actually.” Kirishima relented. Both of them were thrown watching the cats little escape out of the apartment. “How do you think it learned to do that? I guess Kiko must have taught him a few tricks….”

“Do you know Asami-sama texted me last night, he wanted to know the names of the men that found Akihito. I don’t think he was pleased with them….He wanted me to get the security footage from behind the cafe at the park,” Suoh said, turning for a moment to the secretary and raising a knowing eyebrow himself.

“What? What do you mean he wasn’t happy with them? I just sent over their reward money.”

“Well. He didn’t really give any details. But I did get the security footage from the park. I watched it myself. Asami ordered on the radio he was coming and not to approach- they didn’t follow instructions. They came right up, all three of them, it was like they were intentionally scaring the cat. Hell- I even heard one of them call Akihito stupid! Y’know when we arrived after he was found- I noticed Akihito was looking really scared. I thought something must have happened. The footage does not look good for them. I think Asami-sama was pissed when he saw it.” Suoh shakes his head and makes a ‘tsk, tsk’ sound. “…..I would fear for their safety.”

“What?! You can’t be serious! He would do something just cause they scared a cat?!” Kirishima said, eyes wide with horror.

“Frankly, I wanted to wallop them myself after watching that video!”

“Suoh! Really? Just cause they insulted a cat?” Kirishima replied, dumbfounded.

“Insulting a man’s cat! It’s like insulting a man’s mother!”

“S-Suoh! How can you say that so easily! It’s just a cat!? It doesn’t know when it’s being insulted?”

“Tsk! Kirishima, really. You should know. I’d take a bullet for that kitty!” Suoh said with pride.

Now, that little declaration really left Kirishima at a loss for words.

Fortunately, he didn’t have to respond as they arrived at Asami's apartment building and pulled up to the entrance. Kirishima stepped out of the car, as he always did to greet Asami while he exited and open the door for him.

As he saw Asami exiting the building, however, his eyes couldn’t help but drift downwards to the little bundle Asami was holding in his arms.

The cream-colored cat head perked up, its eyes sparkling with curiosity as it looked around. 

Kirishima’s mouth almost dropped. 

Asami walked by a smirk curling his lips, probably at the evidently flabbergasted expression his secretary was giving him.

“Morning Kirishima,” Asami says cooly, not looking back at his secretary as he plops Akihito down into the limo and gets in himself without another word.

Kirishima turns around and sees Suoh touting the biggest of grins as he sits in the driver's seat. A grin that says, "today is gonna be fun!"

Akihito was coming to Sion!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me while writing this: Suoh is a KING 👑
> 
> but poor Kirishima! hehe


	45. Chapter 45

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some Choas as sion. there will be more chaos, forevermore at Sion but i'll only do one episode for now 😂
> 
> Enjoy! 💕
> 
> CHAPTER 45 😱😱🎊🎊🎊😻

When Asami typically arrived at Sion, all eyes would fall on him. Everyone would part and make way for Suoh and Kirishima flanking him on either side. They’d bow and greet respectfully.

Since they always arrived like clockwork, some people would make a point to also arrive at the same time he did, so they’d catch a glimpse of the man or else try to get his attention during the times he entered Sion from the lobby. Although Kirishima and Suoh would prevent any such interruption, and he’d be guided swiftly up to the private elevator.

When the trio waltz into the lobby today, with Akihito in the arms of their powerful CEO, more eyes than usual were on them. Everyone stopped and gawked. Audible gasps could be heard, and people muttered around them.

Some people were so stunned they were frozen in there spot so they didn’t have the opportunity to bow or greet. Everyone was commenting on the little cream color kitty that was in their bosses arms. 

People where ow-ing and aw-ing at the adorable doll-faced cat. While others where immensely confused to see there powerful and influential boss holding the thing.

Akihito could hardly sit still in Asami’s arms. He was getting held up by one arm, but he sat up, perching himself up on Asami's chest and shoulder, and scanned the room excitedly. He squirmed and wiggled in the man's arms as he looks up and down and all around the lobby.

They head into the elevator and go straight up to Asami's office. Kirishima continues with his morning routine, reminding Asami of their schedule today and what else needs to go on.

Asami listened, while he stroked Akihito down his back. When they got to the top floor where his office was, he walked straight past the receptionist towards his office.

He told Kirishima and Suoh to give him a minute, and he closed the door to his office as he walked in. He dropped Akihito down on his antique solid oak desk.

“Now Akihito, we have to lay out some ground rules before we continue. This is still my place of work, and as such, you need to understand that while you are here. Work still needs to be done. Now that goes for everyone else who’s here in this building. While you are here, first of all- do not leave the building. If you break that rule in particular… I may never let you come back. And if you're too much of a distraction, then I’ll have to send you home.” Asami said, diligently laying out what the rules were.

Akihito meowed affirmatively, his eyes sparkling with determination, he was so very excited to be here. He had seen how big the building was from the outside! Would he get to explore Sion?!

“Now, you can stay a Sion until I have to send you back home before five- before you transform, which is very important, kitten. So make the most out of your time here, alright.” Asami continued.

Asami called in Kirishima, using the intercom system. Shortly thereafter the secretary appeared, and Asami asked for him to pick up a few things from a pet store. A scratching post, a litter box to be put in the ensuite bathroom in his office, and to order the proper kinds of food that can be stored in the office. 

Kirishima left the office again, to arrange for those supplies to come in. It was a sign that Akihito's little visit would be more than just temporary, or a one time deal. Akihito would come to Sion regularly.

Akihito jumped down from the desk and started to explore the office while Asami sat at his desk to start reading some reports. Akihito crawled under the sofas and the coffee table, he jumped up and carefully looked around a bookcase.

He crawled under Asami’s desk, while the older man read a file he played a little bit of footsie’s with the kitty, who’d paw at the moving shoe playfully. He sat on Asami’s lap for some time, getting idyll pet. It was very blissful for a time.

Until the kitten wanted to explore some more, and he realized he was allowed to leave the office, “Don’t wander too far, kitty.” Asami said after him when he left through a crack in the office door.

Right outside Asami door Suoh’s and Kirishima desks flanked either side- they had offices of there own nearby, but they had desk outside of Asami’s office for when the boss was inside the office.

Akihito decides to bother Suoh first. He crawls underneath the man's desk, gets up on his hind legs, and hangs himself off the man's chair, meowing loudly for attention. Suoh arches down and scratches him under his chin, and says under his breathe good kitty.

Then he moves along to Kirishima’s desk and does the same thing. He bats his paws around when the bespectacled secretary doesn’t immediately move to pet him. Although Kirishima eventually relents and gives Akihito a few pats on his head.

Akihito moves around, curiosity taking hold as he putters and sniffs around the enclosed area.

_________________

Suoh becomes a little concerned when he no longer hears or sees the cat in the office. He’s pretty sure the last time he saw the cat was when he saw him moseying around the bathroom door, but that was at least five minutes ago.

So he gets up from his desk and looks around the enclosed area, had he wandered deeper into the floor? Where the reception desk was? Expect there’s a large door in the way, that was closed. As he looks around, he notices the door to the bathroom is open, so he heads towards it.

The bathrooms on this floor are quite nice and designed modernly. It looks almost like a spa bathroom with white marble countertops and tiles. Instead of wasteful paper towels, cotton towels are provided. The bathrooms on this floor are cleaned regularly.

But as Suoh opens the door, he finds the entire bathroom is in shambles. Toilet paper ripped into pieces like pieces of confetti all over the ground, the trash is knocked over, the sink is running, and one of the vases has toppled to the ground. It’s all in utter chaos.

And right in the center of a large pile of shredded toilet paper is the cream-colored cat. Who perks up and sits up straight, looking blameless as could be- although he still has some toilet paper all over him.

“Uh-oh.” Suoh says, but then he turns around and sees if Kirishima has noticed. 

Fortunately, the glass secretary is busy, making some spreadsheets on his computer- his favorite thing to do so he hasn’t noticed the interruption. Once he sees it's all gone un-noticed, Suoh walks into the bathroom fully, and locks the door behind him.

“Akihito! What have you done?!” He says in a whisper towards the cat. 

The cat continues to act faultlessly. He even shakes his head “no”.

The nerve of that cat!

Suoh scoffs, “Of course you did this! Look, you’re covered in toilet paper!” 

Akihito shakes his whole body, so the toilet paper comes off. He lowers his ears and head in sorrow, realizing he's been caught, and he makes a whining noise.

“Don’t you know Kirishima is just waiting for an opportunity for you to do something naughty so he can send you home!” Suoh continues.

Akihito and Suoh often talked to each other like this when he came over to feed the cat. It was rather strange, but the large blond man had learned long ago that Akihito could mostly understand you. 

He knew Akihito was a _very_ clever cat, although Suoh just believed Akihito was highly trained.

Akihito’s eyes widen at that, and he meows and meows pathetically. He doesn’t want to go home! He slumps to the ground and looks up at Suoh with big sad eyes.

The big blond man rolls his eyes and crosses his arms around his chest. “Alright, Alright. Don’t give me that. You’re lucky I am the one that found you. Let’s clean this up before anyone else finds out okay.” The big man bends down and starts picking up the trash can.

“Don’t worry, Akihito, we’re partners in crime,” he chuckles at the cat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you tell that I stan Suoh so much! I am loving this budding friendship I am making between them! 😂


	46. Chapter 46

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we back 
> 
> And I'm about to get 1000 kudos, what the heck?? 😻😻🎊🎊
> 
> Enjoy ❤️

Eventually, 4 o’clock rolls around, and there was a meeting taking place a few floors below. Kirishima entered Asami’s office to remind Asami they needed to head down to it. But when he walked into the office, he notices some of the lights were dimmed and the blinds on the window drawn. It wasn’t that dark, but it was much darker than usual. 

He could make out Asami at his desk sitting in the chair he had a laptop in front of him, seemingly reading its contents.

“Sir, We have the me-”

“SHHHHHHH” Asami shushed him, putting a finger to his lips. He had an irritated look on his face as if Kirishima had just interrupted something. Kirishima was taken aback, but as he nears his boss, he notices the reasoning behind his sharp reaction.

There, on Asami’s lap, is the cream-colored cat. Akihito is lying on his back, his legs suspended high in the air, and his front paws curled up in front of him. He’s fast asleep and even snoring slightly. A tiny pink little tongue is sticking out his closed mouth.

“He’s sleeping,” Asami whispers, he says it as if it's the normalist of things and Kirishima should have expected it, and he gestures to the sleeping cat. He gentle strokes Akihito’s belly with a few of his fingers.

Kirishima just goes with it and whispers back, “I’m sorry, sir, but we have that meeting downstairs.”

Is he actually whisper in Asami’s office, so that he doesn’t wake a sleeping cat… my, my how his job description has changed.

Asami looks genuinely disappointed at the reminder. He’ll have to wake the cat up so that he can leave for the meeting. He sighs and whispers his response, “Give me a minute,” he breathes out.

Kirishima turns to leave, he tip toes away so that his shoes aren’t clanking loudly on the ground, and silently opens the door and closes it carefully behind him.

Asami scoops up the tiny sleeping kitty, so he is cradling him. He arches down and kisses him on his round fluffy belly, then trails upward to kiss Akihito again on his little pink nose.

“Akihito…,” Asami says softly, gently waking his little kitty up from his nap.

The cat stirs a bit, sleepy eyes peeling open, and he rubs his face with his paws. The cat yawns, making the cutest little squeaking noise.

“Akihito, I have to go to a meeting, and it's time for you to go back home,” Asami continues, he resumes rubbing the kitties belly.

The cat meows back sleepily, his eyes still not fully open.

“I’ll be at the meeting until after five, so you should go home now. I’ll get Kirishima to take you home.” He tells Akihito.

He kisses him on his forehead and stands up and drops him down gently on one of the couches in his office. He gives the cat a moment to gain his legs back and stretch a bit.

Kirishima walks back into the office. He carefully opens the door just in case the cat is still asleep. The secretary walks further in, once he sees Akihito is awake.

“Kirishima, I need you to bring Akihito back to the apartment and make sure he gets dinner, he needs to be back prompto. And be sure to get back here in a timely manner, as well.” Asami says.

He figures he doesn't need to expressly tell Kirishima to be out of the apartment by five when the sun comes down. Perhaps Asami thinks he’s left enough time, and all Kirishima will do will drop the cat off, feed him, and leave.

The crime lord scoops up Akihito once again and walks them both out of the office. Suoh is waiting outside the office, he's going to the meeting with Asami.

They all head into the elevator, going down.

Kirishima takes out a pocket lint roller while they are in the elevator, “For the cat hair, sir.”

Akihito was a very fluffy kitten, after all, and he shed quite a bit. It was true that since Akihito moved in, almost all of Asami’s clothing needed to be dry cleaned regularly because of the cat hair. And don’t even get Kirishima started on all the cat hair that was now at the penthouse, the housekeeper complained all the time about it.

The secretary was secretly terrified of what would become of Sion if Akihito became a regular visitor. They’d need to increase the amount of cleaning done in Asami's office, especially since they frequently had visitors in Asami's office.

 _UGH, the logistics of it all._ Kirishima thought as he started meticulously using the lint roller to clean up some of the hair on Asami pristine three-piece suit (that was no longer pristine).

Asami hands Akihito over to Kirishima and gives him one last little peck on his pink nose. “Be a good kitty,” He says as he heads out the elevator with Suoh. He gets a meow goodbye from the little cat as they leave.

The elevator doors close, and Akihito looks up at Kirishima curiously.

“Alright.” Kirishima sighs, and he repositions Akihito in his arms. “hmm…I know Asami-sama said I had to get you back prompto, buuutt…I have some errands I have to run first.”

Akihito is, of course, not thinking about that he is going to transform soon. The little cat is only excited to have a little adventure with glasses secretary.

They go down to the garage level and hop in the car. He decides if Akihito is going to be a permanent fixture to Sion - he might as well be adequately prepared.

He heads to a shop and picks up a pet hair roller. He stocks up on kitty litter and a cat bed for Asami’s office. He also has to go to Club Sion to drop off some paperwork for the club.

By the time they get to the apartment, it is already after 4:45 pm, and the sun is low in the sky. He heads up to the apartment with the kitty in tow.

“Alright, Akihito time for dinner,”

He heads into the kitchen and begins to prepare Akihito’s meal. Akihito could have somethings raw, but Asami insists that Akihito gets a stomach ache if he eats too much raw meat. He also has a bit of rice in his meals, so that needs to be cooked in the rice cooker.

Akihito’s meals get delivered to Asami penthouse at least twice a week. They are fresh and high-quality ingredients, which are mostly prepared and portioned out, you just have to cook it. Asami uses a special service that organizes Akihito every meal.

He begins to cook everything up. He wears an apron in Asami’s house and is diligently cooking away. Akihito usually stays very close by and watches, but this time the cat mysteriously leaves the kitchen.

5 o’clock rolls around, and Kirishima finishes up his cooking and put it all on a plate. But the cat is nowhere in sight.

 _Is he off sleeping somewhere, and I’ll have to look for him?_ Kirishima thinks as he picks up the plate of food.

“Akihito, dinners ready,” the secretary calls out. He hopes that’ll be enough to bring Akihito back to the kitchen.

Just as he’s finishing his sentence, there's a loud scampering noise that comes from the hallway, as Akihito jolts to the kitchen in an excited fever. He had fortunately put on some boxer shorts right after transforming, and even a pair of socks. And as Akihito runs to the kitchen, the socks he is wearing make him slide across the hardwood floor. He practically skids into the kitchen like a bat out of hell, almost falling over in his excitement over dinner.

Hazel eyes sparkling in joy as he rushes into the kitchen. “GLASS SECRETARY! I AM STARVING!”

Although Akihito can only watch in horror, as if it’s in slow motion, as the plate of food in Kirishima hand slips right out and crashes to the floor.

Akihito’s mouth forms and O, and his face completely falls. “Y-you dropped my food!” He points at the mess on the ground, then looks back up at Kirishima. His green eyes widen in concern, as he takes in the shocked expression on Kirishima’s face.

“Are you okay, glasses secretary? You don’t look so good…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> poor Kirishima.


	47. Chapter 47

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! 😻
> 
> Wanted to do Suoh but this was running longer then usual and I wanted to give you something now since its been a few days since i last updated :D 
> 
> I might do a small omake tomorrow that was an outtake of this chapter then it'll be suoh's turn to be introduced to Akihito! 
> 
> Anyway enjoy 🐈💕

Asami had just finished his meeting and was heading back to his office. As he was returned he only half noticed the fact that Kirishima’s desk was vacant. It wasn’t that odd since the secretary was often busy, off in some other part of Sion.Asami hardly thought anything of it as he walked back into his office.

Five minutes later and an incoming call comes in from Kirishima. Most calls are put through the secretaries' office. Then they'd be transferred directly to Asami’s office. But this call was to his direct line.

Again it was only a little odd. He hadn’t yet put together the dots.

He picks up the line, “Yes,” He answers absent-minded, he is multitasking and reading another file.

There is a pause on the line.

“Kirishima?” Asami retorts. Thinking the connection is just bad.

“Sir!” The secretaries voice cracks “Uh.. um- I, Asami-sama it’s-”

In the almost ten years he had known Kirishima, he had never even heard the man utter an “Um” or an “Uh”. It just simply wasn’t in his vocabulary. 

Something was wrong. But then his question is answered for him by a familiar voice in the background.

“-Sami’s THERE? Where?!” The sound of his little kittens muffled voice in the background of the call has Asami’s eyes rolling to the back of his head.

“Sir, I’m sorry sir. I- Uh ran some errands and I cooked dinner and then-”

“AASSAMII! Are you in there?! Hello!?!” Asami could hear a momentary scuffle as if the phone was getting fought over. He hearsKirishima soft “Hey” as the telephone was evidently swiped from his hand.

“Akihito....” Asami said softly

“ASAMI!” His kitten said clearly recognized Asami’s voice. “H-how did you get inside this tiny box!? ASAMI! A-are you okay?! I’ll- I’ll get you out of there?!” The concern is real in his voice.

“Akihito, it’s alright just give the phone back to Kirishima,” Asami said, trying to sound calm as he rubs his temples.

“But, AASSAMMII! Glasses secretary dropped my foooddd!!” Asami can almost hear the way Akihito puffs his cheeks in annoyance. But he complies and passes the cell phone back to the secretary.

“Sir. I-” Kirishima starts, but the businessman interrupts.

“Are you at the apartment? I am on my way right now.” Asami says, all business-like, his tone is commanding as if he leaves no room for error or misinterpretation.

He’s already standing up from his desk and walking over towards the exit.

______________________

He tells Suoh to wait in the car as he takes the elevator up to the apartment. But deep down, he knows that Suoh will probably have to find out about Akihito sooner or later.

He hadn’t stayed on the line with Kirishima for long. The man was pretty despondent anyway. He couldn’t blame him for being shocked about Akihito’s discovery. It certainly took him some time to adjust to his very existence. But he needed some answers as to what had happened.

Did Akihito transform while he was in the car? Or was it when they got back to the apartment? Was it possible that someone saw something or a camera picked them up entering the apartment?

His mind had created a scenario where Kirishima is in the car, waiting at some red light, and then POOF suddenly there's a naked cat boy sitting in the back seat!These where all readily concerns for Asami as he stepped into the apartment. 

As the businessman is taking off his shoes, he hears Akihito scampering towards the front door in a hurry.

“Asami, Asami!!” Akihito yells as he turns the corner, “I want you to know I had nothing to do with the mess in the kitchen. That wasn’t me _this time_! I swear!”

Asami immediately takes notice of the fact that Akihito is for once, wearing some clothing. Kirishima must have told him to dress.

“Are you alright?” Asami asks.

“I’m HUNGRY!” He says impatiently and turns around and walks back towards the kitchen, Asami follows behind.

They both reach the kitchen, and there's no longer any mess that Akihito had described. Kirishima is at the stove heating up another meal for Akihito.

He looks a bit more like his usual self, but Asami can tell he’s a little pale - although clearly recovering.

The older man turns to Akihito and strokes his pretty face, “Let me talk to Kirishima for a moment, please, Akihito.” 

As soon as the cats out of earshot Kirishima starts, he rubs his forehead. “Sir. I- What is he? Is this what Kiko was hiding? Did you found out about it that night we were in Hokkaido -”

“Yes. Kirishima, I can explain everything. But not right now, what happened?” Asami is starting off calm.

“I-I was making dinner and then - he was - and there was- and he has - ears and tail!” Kirishima fumbled, his eyes widening a bit at the memory of seeing those fluffy ears and tails on a human boy. He was obviously still wrapping his head around it all.

“Did anyone _else_ see him?” Asami asked firmly, he wanted that particular fact cleared up.

“N-No. We were already in the apartment.”

That was some relief. At least Akihito had transformed in the apartment. If he had transformed while in the car, it would perhaps be the least worst actuality but it would still require something like mysteriously deleting some security footage.

“Are you alright?” Asami asks, trying to gauge Kirishima’s reaction.

He sighs. “I’ll live, sir… But, This kind of secret, Asami. This - This explains a lot! And here I was thinking you’d gone crazy. Sorry, sir. But it’s true. You’ve been acting so strange since Hokkaido, and now it's starting to make some sense. Honestly, I can’t help but feel a bit relieved but also _fucking hell_ he has cat ears!”

It wasn’t everyday Kirishima swore.

“Is this why you were so fixated on finding him yesterday when he got out- because he would have - he would have turned into - that! Oh, god!” The secretary continued.

“Yes, and we would have been in a lot of trouble. I know.”

“Asami-sama, this is- what is he?” Kirishima asked now, getting more severe, and he was giving Asami a look.

Asami rubbed his temples, “I don’t know. Kiko didn’t know either. He’s just- He’s just Akihito. He’s just a kitten.”

“Sir…you should have told us about him earlier. Suoh and I, should have known about this, this is - a huge hole in our security procedures! We should be planning, setting up contingency, and writing new protocols- if we don’t want anyone to find out about him - Get Suoh up here right now. We have a lot to talk about!” The man turned around in a huff, after making clear his 'demands'. Only Kirishima could be so frank with Asami.

But he was so very right. Not telling Kirishima and Suoh was selfish, it was their business to know Asami’s business. If they had known since the beginning, maybe Akihito wouldn’t have had the chance to run off yesterday. Asami had begun to realize it yesterday when he thought it was all about to fall to pieces.

Kiko had talked a lot in her final letter about her acting selfishly, and keeping Akihito to herself- as Asami was doing now.

He didn’t have to go at it alone. Not when he had trusted allies like Kirishima and Suoh.

And more importantly…Akihito didn’t have to be alone.

Just then, Akihito rushes back into the kitchen when he smells that the food was ready, his eyes wide and happy as his dinner is placed on the kitchen table.

He starts to snarf it all down wildly, and Asami watches as Kirishima comes over to him and wipes his face clean like the mother hen he can sometimes be. 

“I know Kiko must have taught you some manner, young man!” The secretary barks, his hands on his hips as he wipes Akihito’s face clean and hands him a fork. 

Akihito sticks his tongue out at him.

No. Akihito didn’t have to be alone, especially when he could have a family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all really thought i was gonna have Asami gouge Kirishima's eyes out for finding out about Akihito! I am to wholesome to do that! Also, i love Kirishima and secretly think Kirishima actually kinda likes Akihito in canon. soooo that's my hot take of the night.
> 
> While walking around this week I keep seeing this poster for a lost black and white cat 😔😔 it makes me so sad every time i go by it cause they put up like hundreds all around the city i live, so u know they really want it back 😔. Apparently, it got scared of fireworks during the 4th of July and ran away 😭😭
> 
> I can only imagine Asami would do something similar if he lost little aki 😭😭


	48. OMAKE Episode's

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short little episodes! 
> 
> Suoh coming tomorrow!!
> 
> 20,000 hits 🎊🎊💕

**____________Episode 1_____________**

**The First Mess in the Kitchen:**

A week ago:

Asami comes back home at his usual time at 3 AM. His kitten isn't waiting at the front door as he typically is. So he wanders in and walks by the kitchen.

“Akihito?” He calls, he wonders if the boy has gone to bed early.

What he doesn’t see as he walks by is the puddle of water on the ground. Nor does he expect to lose his footing and slip to the ground, landing flat on his back with a bang.

“Ouch,” he says deadpan. He looks up at the ceiling from the ground in resignation.

He can already feel the water seeping into his suit and getting his hair wet. He hears the kitchen sink running, and it's overflown out of the sink and on to the floor.

Before he can move, Akihito appears and crouches down and then lies down next to him. He rests himself half on top of Asami. He as sopping wet as the floor is.

“Are you okay?” Akihito asks, eyes big and concerned looking. He strokes Asami’s chest and nuzzles his face into the older man.

“Akihito…where did this water come from...?” Asami asks patiently.

“I don't know.” He responds innocently.

Asami signs deeply.

**____________Episode 2______________**

“You put some clothes on, young man!” Kirishima chases after the cat-boy, he was still not used to saying that- but that's exactly what he was.

“Nooooo,” Akihito whined as he ran through the hallway, his bushy tail swinging as he ran away from the secretary.

Even though Kirishima was still a bit in shock over the whole thing, however, there were a few things that were ultimately become crystal clear in his mind.

This little cat boy was the reason Asami had become so very fanatical about his pet cat. There was a bit of relief in that. At least he hadn’t gone utterly crazy for an animal! He had only gone utterly mad for a human-cat hybrid, an inexplicable and mythical little creature. It was obvious to see why. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to put a few things together.

No matter how you saw it. This little creature, whatever the heck he was, was blond, boyish, and beautiful. Even if he was acting a bit bratty right about now!

“Come back here!” He yells, continuing to chase after the half-naked boy.

This wasn’t part of his job description…

But the secretary needed him dressed before Asami arrived. For some reason, the secretary was getting a feeling that Asami wouldn’t be pleased with the thought of Kirishima seeing the boy half-naked. But clearly, it would be tough to convince the cat boy to put something on.

“Asami would want you to put some clothes on.” He offered, hoping that would be enough to convince him to put some clothes on.

Akihito turned around and pouted, his eyes cast down, “Asami doesn’t care what I wear!” He argued back.

Somehow he didn’t doubt that. But he continued pressing, “Akihito, I think Asami would want you to be dressed before he comes back!”

His hazel eyes narrowed, and his face scowled. “FINE!” And he scuttled into the 2nd bedroom.

How come Kirishima hadn’t noticed that the extra room had gotten set up as a bedroom. 

After a moment, he hears the boy squealing for help. “Glasses secretary! Glasses secretary!”

Kirishima rushes over to the bedroom to see whats happened.

The boy's head and ears are stuck in the shirt. He’s fussing his arms around in the air. Since his arms are only half-through the armholes, he isn't able to reach his head to fix getting stuck. 

He’s making whining noises and twisting around, trying to put the cotton t-shirt on fully.

“Alright stop moving, you’re making it worse.” He steps into the room and tries yanking the shirt down, but that evidently hurts the young man.

“Heyyyy! Ow-nhhh” He yells as yanking the shirt down doesn't solve the problem. The issue is his big fluffy ears are getting caught in the t-shirt.

So Kirishima stretches the t-shirt so it can accommodate his ears. He also notices how he has to bend his tail awkwardly when he put on his pants. It looked a little uncomfortable. Perhaps the boy was right, not liking clothing.

“Now, I’ll make your dinner again, but you have to be patient until Asami gets back.” Kirishima puts forward.

Akihito smiles mischievously, and his ears perk. 

"Asami's going to be sooo mad with the mess you made!" he snickers to himself. 


	49. Chapter 49

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for suoh to join the fun 💕

They call up Suoh and tell him to come upstairs to the penthouse to discuss something urgent. They don’t give details.

Kirishima, Akihito, and Asami all sit in the living room, talking it over. Akihito rests on Asami’s head, getting pet lazily by Asami, who is talking over things with Kirishima.

They have a simple plan for when Suoh arrived. Kirishima would meet Suoh at the entrance and break the news as gently as possible. We’d give Suoh some time to come to terms with everything and get over the initial shock. Then they’d enter into the rest of the apartment and be formally introduced to Akihito. The two men explained to Akihito what was going to happen.

It was a very safe plan. Foolproof really.

Asami would then explain everything to both Kirishima and Suoh. He’d explain more about Kiko, how he found out about Akihito, how he transforms at sunset and goes back to being a cat at sundown, how Akihito left the apartment because of separation anxiety. He’d tell them about Ai. He was really going to put everything on the table.

He was ready to talk it all out, come up with better plans for Akihito’s care and Akihito’s future.

They’d come up with new security measures and procedures to prevent bad things. He had already thought about getting new locks around the apartment, ones that lock automatically so there’d be no repeat offenses.

The more he thought about it, the more prospects there were. They could organize times for Akihito to leave the apartment, in human form, to do check-ups at Ai’s new facility. Or even make opportunities for Akihito to travel in the private jet sometime.

They would also set up contingencies for when things didn’t go as planned.

With Akihito, things were bound never to go as planned - speaking of things not going according to plan….

Kirishima gets up and heads over to the entrance, knowing that Suoh will arrive at any moment. He wanted to be the one that tells Suoh about Akihito. He knew it would come as a shock- as the existence of such a creature would shock anyone.

Suoh has a key, so he lets himself into the apartment, and he moves to take off his shoes in the genkan. He notices Kirishima’s very serious expression and wonders what he’s missed. Asami hadn’t said anything when they arrived at the penthouse. Suoh thought it might have something to do with Akihito, given that Kirishima was to drop him off at the apartment.

“Suoh, we have a lot to discuss…Asami and I, talked it over and we think it’s-” Kirishima begins.

“- Akihito, wait!” They hear the baritone voice in the distance, but it’s too late.

Akihito has already jolted towards the front entrance of the apartment. To do what he does every time Suoh enters the apartment, it’s too much of a habit not to rush towards the genkan immediately- no matter what he’s been told.

The kitten makes it a habit to greet everyone who enters, but Suoh in particular. They are ‘partners in crime’, after all. You see, on a typical day when Suoh comes to the apartment to feed Akihito his lunch, they have a special little greeting ritual.

He’ll enter, and Akihito will rush over, no matter where he is in the apartment. Greet him with a meow, and then the little cat will jump as high as he can into the tall man's awaiting arms for scratches, pets, and praises. It's usually the highlight of Akihito’s day.

So as Akihito hears Suoh entering the apartment, now he can’t help but to do what he always does…

“Suoh!” He scurries around the corner in elation.

His little fangs are flashing on his wide smile, and his eyes are sparkling in his child-like excitement. He completely passes Kirishima and makes a b-line for the large blond guard, who’s still standing in the genkan.

Kirishima’s helpless to do anything as it happens to fast. And he watches in slow motion as Akihito shoots himself off the ground, outstretches his long arms and barrels forward towards Suoh.

Fortunately, the large blond man reflexes are fast enough, and he catches the little cat boy right in his arms- bridal style.

Kirishima facepalms. Asami rounds the corner himself and sighs. Akihito is giggling playfully in glee.

So much for subtlety!

Suoh's mouth practically drops to the floor, but he's frozen in place. The first thing he sees are familiar hazel green eyes, ones that he would recognize anywhere. Then his eyes land on the fanged mouth, and the ears atop his head, and his brain clicks it all together.

“AKIHITO?!?”

* * *

This episode inspired by this brooklynn nine-nine scene, which i can def see Akihito and Suoh doing.


	50. Chapter 50

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I recently realized how i've been getting a bit distracted, by all the funny storylines (which i love) but time to get back on track! 😏
> 
> WHOA 50 chapters!! ❤️💕🐈
> 
> Enjoy ❤️

“…What are you doing?” Asami questioned Akihito when he sees Suoh holding Akihito's bridal style. 

Asami had just finished telling Akihito about their plan to calming and slowly tell Suoh. But it had all gone out the window, and Asami wasn’t fast enough to stop him from running to the entrance. 

Suoh himself was frozen stiff in place, jaw wide open and eyes wide as can be staring at the little cat boy in his arms. 

“B-but Suoh’s my best friend!” Akihito explains, nuzzling his face into Suoh’s chest. 

Asami sighs. “Suoh…This is Akihito.” 

____________________________

Suoh puts Akihito down and does what all three men had done when they first discovered Akihito. They touched his fluffy ears. (Just in case)

They all eventually go back into the living room to talk it all out.

There wasn’t that much to explain since Asami didn’t know what Akihito was either. But he gave them the gist of what Kiko had told him. He also explained how he had discovered Akihito when they were back in Hokkaido only a few weeks ago.

Akihito was getting quite bored of all the talking, so he got up and decided to sit on Asami’s lap midway through their conversation. He rested his cheek on Asami’s pec and would make tiny squealing and whining noises when the man stopped stroking him. But now Akihito was drifting off to sleep, although there was still a lot to discuss with Suoh and Kirishima. 

Asami tucked Akihito into bed, while he went back to work with Suoh and Kirishima.

“Sir. We thought you were acting strangely, but… well, this- this is very unexpected.” Suoh spoke up. He sat up from his armchair across from Asami. “But I have to say, it does explain a lot of stuff.” 

“I know today has probably been a bit of a shock to both of you. But I need to know your guys are on board with this from now on - Akihito’s secret needs to be our priority, and it needs to stay between the three of us- and Momohara-san as well.” Asami begins. 

“Momohara-san?” Suoh interjects. 

“The vet. Kiko found her. She’s the only other person that knows about Akihito.” Asami explained. 

“Is that why you got her a new facility. Well, that’ll make our job a lot easier when he has check-ups and things like that. We’ll reach out to her and get some security measures figured out for her new place. Perhaps we can all go tomorrow and speak with her.” Kirishima adds as he has already been taking notes on their conversations. 

“Asami-sama, do you think it's possible that there are others like him…” Suoh asks.

Asami has certainly thought about the prospect that somewhere out there, there were more just like Akihito. 

“It's possible. If we were to look into something like that. It would mean we’d be divulging into all the crazy conspiracy theories. It would be almost impossible to shift through the fiction and find facts. For now, I don’t know if it should be our concern. Frankly, one Akihito is enough.”

__________________________________

The next morning Akihito and Asami get up and are planning to take the limo to Ai’s new facility with Suoh and Kirishima. 

Suoh and Kirishima met inside the apartment, and they came with a folder. 

“What's this?” Asami asks as he’s handed the folder. 

“Suoh and I, both did a background check on Ai Momohara,” Kirishima says straight-face

“You know I already did that…” 

“We were just making sure you didn’t miss anything, Asami-sama.” Kirishima responds.

“You didn’t, sir,” Suoh interjects.

“As I thought…So let's go.” Asami presses, and they leave the penthouse and head over to Ai’s new veterinary practice.

The facility is not anywhere near complete. The labs are still getting constructed in the back areas. Ai is still in the process of moving everything from her old job to her brand new facility. And while most of the site is still under construction, some of the front rooms are available for a meet up with Asami.

“Aki-chan!!” Ai calls when she sees the little cream-colored kitten in Asami’s arms. Akihito wiggles out of Asami’s grip and scurries over to Ai to say hello. She picks him up and greets him with a kiss on his head. “Hello, sweety! You look very well.”

“Momohara-san,” Asami greets. “The place seems to be coming along.” 

“Hello, Asami-sama. Yes, the place is really getting there. It’s going to be a while, but we are getting there. Akihito, would you like to tour my new office? Asami-sama and I, have some things to talk about it.” She says as she puts Akihito down.

Suoh and Kirishima go to tour the facility, they are going to put their input security-wise for the rest of the construction. So the two go with Akihito to tour the new clinic. 

“Asami-sama, I was surprised to hear that you told your two securities about Akihito. But can I just say, I think it’s for the best. It’s positive to see Akihito making new friends, having new experiences. I don’t think it suits him at all, to be so closed off from the world. I always thought Kiko was a bit over-protective. All she needed was a tight group of people that would have kept Akihito secret.” 

“I know what you mean. I agree it was for the best, plus it was bound to happen anyway.” Asami agreed.

“Now. Are you here to talk more about what's due to happen this week…” Ai trailed off. 

“The full moon…I remember.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehe 😏😏😏


	51. Chapter 51

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg the timing of this was actually perfect because last night was actually a full moon, and then today is actually Asami's birthday!! 
> 
> What a nice early birthday present for Asami! 😅 hehe. 
> 
> Enjoy 🐈

The full moon equaled Akihito’s heat.

Ai doesn’t say anything more that Asami hasn’t already heard. She only reminds Akihito about his upcoming heat. And she tells the two of them they can come back the following day to talk over everything.

It doesn’t make Asami feel any better about leaving Akihito to fend for himself. But this is what Ai had said during their first meeting. Akihito would know what to do, that he’d go into his room and stay there. And there was nothing Asami could do, and he shouldn’t interfere.

But of course, Asami wanted to interfere. He didn’t like feeling like he was helpless to do something, especially when it came to Akihito. And the more he learned that Akihito would potential be in pain or uncomfortable, the more it left him uneasy.

For starters, he didn’t know enough about Akihito’s heat to really come to any conclusion. Which is why this upcoming full moon would be significant. It would be Akihito’s first heat since moving in with Asami.

Kiko wrote a bit about Akihito’s heat in her journal, but her words were pretty cryptic. Just that she also didn’t like leaving Akihito alone while he was obviously uncomfortable.

But he supposes he’ll have to deal with it. He had tried to bring it up with Akihito, later that evening when he got back home from work.

“Akihito…Ai reminded you about your heat coming up?” Akihito was sitting on his lap while they were watching some TV. “Are you going to be okay? Hmm?” He asked, and he stroked Akihito’s leg.

Akihito only rested his head on Asami's chest and shook his head yes. It seems an uncharacteristic answer, meek and quiet-like that wasn’t at all like Akihito.

“Do you wanna talk to me about it?”

Akihito only shakes his head no.

Asami slumps his shoulders and sighs. He feels like he’s getting ‘the wrap-around’ from a cat. Is it suppose to be this vague or something?

But he goes along. Akihito comes to work during the day, and he gets dropped off before he transforms. He’s been noticeable happier going to Sion daily, and he seems to be having some adventures there. But eventually, the week starts to go by, and the night of the full moon arrives.

Asami’s not sure what to do, go home early and at least just supervise and make sure he’s okay. Or leave him be and come home as he always does. Ai suggested he leave him be and continues to reassure Asami that it’s all very normal.

Akihito goes back home from Sion a bit earlier than usual, and Suoh gives him an extra portion of food for tonight.

The sun goes down while Asami’s at work, and the full moon is an impressive sight tonight. Asami can’t help but feel useless. He tries to get back to work like normal, but it's on the back of his mind the entire time. Eventually, he can’t stand it. He has to get back to the penthouse. He arrives sometime after midnight.

It’s eerily quiet in the penthouse when he arrives. It feels sort of like how it was back in the days when he lived here alone. He can’t believe it's been almost a month since Kiko died, and Akihito came to live with him.

It feels almost unreal. Asami can’t really remember what his life was like before Akihito came. It must have been rather dull. Just day in and day out of work, work and more work. He always used to think he liked the silence in his penthouse. After a long day at work, it seemed serene.

But now he instantly notices when the hallways are empty, and it almost makes him feel a bit sad. As if he knows that something is off.

He carefully tiptoes over to Akihito’s room to check on him. He brings an ear to the door, but he doesn’t really hear anything. Asami’s a little surprised, as Kiko had said she often heard Akihito making whining or chirping noises coming from his room. He tries the door, but he finds that it’s locked. Now that concerns him.

A part of him wants to break out his beretta, attach his silencer, and show this door a thing or two about locking Asami Ryuichi out of _any_ room. But he stops himself.

Everyone has been telling him he needs to let Akihito be and not to interfere with him during this delicate time of the month.

He can’t bust his way through this or force it - as much as his instincts are screaming at him to do it. 

So fine. He will. Even if it burns him to think of doing nothing.

He turns on his heels and goes back to his bedroom to prepare for bed. He showers and pours himself something to drink. He reads the newspaper for a bit in bed.

His bedroom seems so empty and quiet without Akihito here, who would usually be taking up half the space and wanted to be drowned in attention. Another hour passes, and yet he hardly hears anything from Akihito’s room.

Eventually, he turns off the lights and attempts to go to bed. But Asami only ends up tossing and turning.

He’s not sure how much time has passed, perhaps an hour or maybe two when the door to the bedroom clicks open. It comes as a bit of a surprise, as he had heard nothing up until then. His back is to the door, but he doesn’t move as its silently opened up.

There's a pause as the door is open, but he hears no one entering. Asami wonders for a moment if he’s mistaken, and it’s just the wind. Yet he can’t shake the feeling like he’s being watched.

Asami sits up on his elbow and turns around, “Akihito?”

It’s Akihito, alright. But he looks very strange. He’s standing a few feet away towards the base of the bed. He stalks a bit closer, and his feet touch the ground, but they don’t make a sound.

His eyes are big and wide. They have an almost luminescent quality to them in the darkness of the room. Asami not sure if it's just a trick of the light coming from the open door. As the boy nears, Asami sees that his pupils are tiny vertical slits, he looks almost trance-like, and his gaze is locked on Asami. He’s never looked more cat-like than he does right now.

“Akihito?” Asami says again, and he sits up on his bed.

And just as quickly, Akihito pounces.

* * *

My friend sent me this cause shes been working on her embroidery skills during quarantine and I was like you have no idea how purrfect it is. anyway its soo cute and I couldn't help but share.


	52. Chapter 52

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 😨😨😨😨 sorry, i am taking so long to post! Just been so busy recently, and kinda moody about having to write.  
> i kept writing and re-writing and i Just had to post it.
> 
> I think this is gonna go different then what people will think, and a part of me was a little worried that u'd guys would think I baited you. but don't worry what we are ALL waiting for.. it will come. just not yet. (I did say since the beginning you'll have to wait for it 😅) But I always intended for this to happen, and i was really struggling and being like oh maybe i should cut it and give the people what they want. but I didn't want to cut one of my original ideas for this fic. so y'all are just gonna have to wait a bit more..hehe
> 
> enjoy ❤️❤️❤️

Akihito had just as much agility as a cat when he pounced forward. He was fast and graceful. Lethal looking.

But this was Asami Ryuichi we’re talking about. In the dictionary next to the word lethal, you’d see a picture of Asami Ryuichi.

So, of course, he was just as fast. So when Akihito vaulted forward, Asami scooped him up. He grabbed Akihito’s wrist and countered the attack with an attack of his own. He sent Akihito off momentum and rolled them both over, so Akihito was pinned underneath him.

Nobody, not Ai nor Kiko, had ever mentioned aggressive behavior as a symptom of Akihito’s heat. Asami wouldn’t have thought it was even possible for his sweet little kitten to be aggressive. Sure Akihito had scratched Asami a few times, but those times weren’t aggressive by nature. They were done out of fear. Fear of bath time. Or fear of Asami when they first met.

This was completely unprovoked.

Akihito thrashed at being held down, he growled, brandished his fangs, and flailed trying to get out of Asami’s grip. But it was of no use.

“Akihito!” Asami called, trying to calm him down, and held him down even firmer.

The force and shock of Asami counter move, and getting pushed and pinned down snapped Akihito out of whatever trance-like hold he was in.

Those tiny vertical cat-like pupils dilated and turned into wide saucers. He stopped squirming, and his whole body slacked. That lethalness that had overtaken him, only a moment ago, suddenly melted away. It was replaced with child-like horror.

As if Akihito had just realized what he had done. The color drained from his face. The look in his face and eyes was somewhere between guilt and horror, like a child thats gotten caught doing something naughty.

“Kitten…?” Asami probed softly. He had already released Akihito and was moving to soothe any thought of wrongdoing.

However, Asami made the mistake of touching Akihito a little too early while he was still tense, and Akihito reacted sharply.

In a moment of jumpiness, Akihito swatted Asami hand away, and in the process…he scratched Asami’s face.

The cat boy had the nails to cause damage too. Although it’s nothing more than a nick, and a drop of blood.

But it ultimately escalates the situation for Akihito, who panics and wriggles free in that moment Asami’s caught off guard. And he darts out of the bedroom and down the hallway back to his own bedroom.

Asami was a hair short of grabbing him while he made his escape. He wanted answers, but he doubts he would get anything straight from Akihito.

Once again, the door to Akihito’s bedroom is locked. But this time, Asami can hear sad sounding chirping noises coming from his bedroom.

“Akihito!” He knocked on the door loudly. “It’s alright! Please come out.”

Was Asami, asking too much to have his little cat boy explain himself?

Aggression was one thing, but aggression while in heat - seemed like something else entirely. Almost like something… sexual? Was he wrong to assume that?

A part of him knew he had chosen to ignore a lot about their relationship and had left it purposefully with no definition. Of course, Akihito had an innocent crush on Asami. That was plain as day. And Asami admittedly liked to push those boundaries. Kiss him, sleep next to him, and he even showered with him.

But hell, he’d be lying if he said he didn’t also have a _crush_ on Akihito. Although _innocent_ was hardly how he’d describe his feelings.

He had always partially felt a bit dirty for thinking of Akihito in this way. But how could he not? The boy didn’t even have to try, and he’d just be so deliciously tempting.

Was it possible that his heat had brought to the forefront all these unspoken things, and it conflicted and confused Akihito? Just as much as those thoughts conflicted and confused Asami.

He only knew that Akihito was _his,_ and he couldn’t let him go.

Wasn’t this precisely what Kiko and Ai had taking about, his growth spur and Akihito developing and maturing.

Barging in right now, though, while Akihito was clearly upset, would probably only lead to Asami getting scratched again. So he fought against it and attempted to go back to bed.

____________________________

The next morning, Asami was rearing to talk to Ai again. But Akihito was avoiding him.

Kiko had said that the morning after his heat, Akihito would return to normal, and be back to his usual self. But he was clearly avoiding Asami. The cream-colored cat was even going as far as hiding from him.

He hadn’t gone back to Asami’s bedroom after he transformed and wasn’t there when Asami woke up. He hadn’t even greeted Asami this morning as he usually did. In fact, he hid under the couch and didn’t come when he was called. Nor did he go into the bathroom when Asami showered and changed.

Did he think he was in some kind of trouble?

But now it was time to go to Ai’s, and he was still hiding underneath the couch.

“Akihito, don’t you want to go to Ai’s?” Asami peeked under the couch, and Akihito buried his face in his arms and whined. “What is it kitten? Come out of there, why are you hiding?”

Akihito’s head peaked out, and his sad little eyes meet Asami. Asami coxed his head a bit, gesturing for him to come out. Akihito slowly did crawl out from under his little hiding place, and as soon as he was out, Asami scooped him up and held him against his chest.

Akihito meowed and gently licked Asami’s face, where he had scratched him last night.

“Aw now. It’s alright.” He stroked down his back and strode out of the apartment, Akihito kept licking him until they got down to the car which would take them to Ai’s.

______________________

“He pounced on top of you?!” Ai said when she heard the news. Akihito was in the other room, with Suoh and Kirishima getting some blood test drawn with Ai’s assistant.

“What do you think of it?” Asami asked.

“I’ve- he’s never done anything like that before.” She blunders, evidently still shocked by Asami’s testament of what happened. “And you say his eyes looked different?”

“Like cat eyes, and they were even slightly shiny too. He seemed to snap out of it, but then he was very jumpy when he came out it, like scared and anxious and he scratched me.” He said, pointing to the small nick on his cheek.

“I am stunned. Honestly. I've never heard of him doing anything like this! Can you imagine him pouncing on poor Kiko! He’d crush her!”

“So, why do you think it happen?” Asami asked, he noticed Ai looking away for a moment as if she was hiding something. “What are you thinking?”

“Asami can I be frank with you…” she asked, she crossed her hands in front of her.

“I’m paying you to be frank with me,” Asami said bluntly.

“O-Of course, but it's just… well… there's a reason I decided I was better suited to working with animals..but see. Kiko seemed to think..” She fuddled her words, “I mean- I just wanna say that it's the 21st century and I don’t judge anything based on-“

“She thought I would sleep with Akihito,” Asami answered for her.

Ai’s eyes widen at Asami's bluntness. “Y-yes” she stuttered, but then she composed herself and continued. “You make it sounds so easy. The thing is, of course, she didn’t want to force either you or Akihito into anything. She just kinda had a feeling it might work out that way…she also just wanted it to happen more organically. Was she wrong to think that?”

“No...I think she knew me well…” he trailed off.

 _She knew my taste pretty well too_ … Asami thought although he didn’t want to say that part out loud. _Kiko had really anticipated for everything…_

“The thing is, we believed that not only was Akihito in the middle of a growth spur- but we also believed that he was a late bloomer too. He’s lived a fairly quiet life away from people, away from the kinds of experiences that help normal people learn and grow and find out who they are…I don’t know what to say other than. He’s like a hormonal teenager. He’s dealing with the fact that he is both animal and human. Battling his animal instincts and his human reality. I can only imagine how confusing that is.” Ai explained.

“Pouncing on someone doesn’t really sound like a hormonal teenager."

“No. It doesn’t. I doubt he would have really hurt you or anything like that. I don’t believe he’s capable of that. But he’s not really a teenager, remember? He’s an adult, and when he’s in heat, he has adult needs. Needs that for him have never been fully formed and possibly never really understood. It's possible that - his instincts kicked in.”

“So what do we do going forward…” Asami asks.

“Let things run their natural course…” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am sorry i jebaited u. but SOON I promise!!
> 
> I'll also be giving u tiny consolation prize sooner to hold u over!


	53. Chapter 53

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhh iv just been taking so long recently. i am not gonna lie recently my sister and I, who i live with, got cable TV (😂😂😂) and so i've been SO distracted since i normally write in the living room. I've been watching a lot of chopped. it bad. cause then i get hungry and wanna eat. I shouldn't have gotten cable TV. 😭🤣
> 
> i'll try to stop being distracted and actually do some writing. haha

**MEANWHILE:**

The young man, who was Ai's newly hired assistant, was obviously not privy to Akihito’s little secret. All he knew was that Asami-sama was an important client of his new boss Ai, one who was more or less his bosses boss.

The cream-colored cat, named Akihito, needed to get some blood work. This young assistant was tasked to draw the blood and return the blood vial to Ai, while she was meeting with her most important client.

Ai’s office and only one examination room were the only completed part of the new facility. Everything else was more or less a construction site.

When he had come to work here, he was vetted, his background was checked. He had a pretty tough interview stage, but the pay was going to be worth it. Once he had found out that Asami Ryuichi was a client and a top investor in this veterinarian clinic, he supposed it made a bit more sense.

He had heard of Asami Ryuichi, of course, the CEO of a huge and powerful corporation and a famous bachelor to boot. Who would have thought, that a powerful man like him had a love for kittens. And that no normal veterinarian clinic would do for his cat.

The assistant was not given access to Akihito’s medical files, but he supposed that wasn’t so odd since that must be left to Ai. The cat generally looked healthy, his coat healthy and clean. He was an absolutely adorable cat and seemingly very friendly and social.

He needed to prick Akihito in the back with a needle to get the blood drawn for the whatever blood test Ai was planning on doing. The only problem was that while Asami Ryuichi was in Ai’s office discussing business, Asami had left his two ‘secretaries’ to watch over the cat.

They were clearly not just secretaries given their size and hunky shape. More like huge security guards. The poor young assistant was not expecting two large men to accompany him for a regular check-up. The two men were scary looking. They glared down at the young man and watched his every move. They were just naturally intimidating looking.

But it was starting to make the assistant a bit nervous like they were crowding him. And why did a small kitten, need two people supervising him getting a routine shot. They were even discussing how they'd personally dispose of the needle and take the vial of blood to Ai. 

The assistant grabbed the needle needed to draw the blood. The kitten looked wide-eyed at it and made a small chirping sound. He darted over to the two men and attempted to hide behind them.

The large blond secretary picked up the kitty and said, “It’s alright, Akihito it's just a little shot. It’ll be over before you know it,” He places Akihito down on the table.

Most cats are a little nervous about needles and Akihito was no exception. They always looked huge to him. But if Suoh was saying it was okay, then he felt a little better.

The cat laid down and tried not to move. The assistant used one hand to steady him down, while also pinching a flap of skin on Akihito’s back so that he could draw out the blood.

“Meee-raw-ooo,” the cat yelped loudly, his eyes wide and scared.

He hadn’t even been pierced by the needle yet, but just getting pinched was enough to get him scared. Both his arms shot up and his paws jerked and batted around trying to reach for Suoh.

Suoh reached out and picked up his paw, and gently tapped it consolingly and soothingly. His big hand completely engulfing the tiny little pink paw.

“Meeow,” Akihito said softly. He looked at Suoh and then at Kirishima and his other free paw outstretched towards Kirishima wanting Kirishima to hold his other paw. 

Kirishima didn’t seem to notice the gesture so Suoh turned to Kirishima, “Are you gonna hold his paw?” He said questioningly and he raised his eyebrow.

Kirishima ‘tsked’, but nevertheless, extended his hand to hold Akihito’s paw.

The assistant was generally a little shocked at the scene in front of him. Two large men hold a cat's hand as he got a shot. And here he had thought they were so intimidating, but now he almost wanted to giggle at how sweet they were being towards the tiny little cat. He continued with his job though and inserted the needle. 

Akihito felt the tiny prick as the needle went into him, but he only moved a tiny bit. He also meowed softly one more time for good measure.

Suoh praised him when it was all done,“Such a brave kitty!” He said lightly tapping on Akihito’s paw in support.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyway so this little scene was slightly based off of a video of a cat i saw on instagram, but i couldn't find it afterwards 😭😭. I wanted to post and show u guys but i looked and i looked and i honestly couldnt find it 😩.  
> BTW my instagram has been totally taken over by cat pictures and videos since i started writing this- their algorithm is telling them i love cats- they aint wrong buuttt. xDD
> 
> the video is basically a cat getting a vaccination and they look so sad and their arms are pushed up because there getting held kinda awkwardly- and i was like if that was Akihito someone would be holding his hand and tell him he was so brave.😂 and i believe the cat was basically just like softly screaming the entire time - poor dear.


	54. Chapter 54

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ❤️ hellooo again! we back! a little bit longer than usually! I'll try to update again soon 😊😊

There’s a monster outside of Asami’s office. 

A loud and tall metal monster.

Everyone seemed to ignore it, despite the loud noises it made. Akihito had seen glasses secretary conversing with it a few times. He’d open it up from the top and feed it some paper. It would make a horrible noise and then churn out some more paper.

Akihito observed it all from behind Suoh’s desk. He’d peek his head out just a bit, to catch a glimpse of the beast. Then he’d dart his head back and hide behind the desk.

He did this for some time, darting in and out around the corner. He was keeping an eye on it. Just in case…

Akihito felt safer being behind Suoh’s desk because, if this metal monster decided to attack - Suoh would certainly come to his aid. 

Akihito wasn’t sure about glasses secretary - they seemed to be in cahoots!!

But so far, the metal giant wasn’t moving. Although, Akihito could have sworn he saw it rumble for a second.

But now it just stood there, MENACINGLY. 

He’d have to have a talk with Asami about why he kept such an ugly beast in Sion. But he honestly hadn’t noticed it before now.

Akihito was obviously very curious about the strange monster, he hasn’t taken his eyes off it. He decides to take a chance and slowly starts to near it. It must not be all bad if its in Asami’s office.

He slowly makes his way towards it. He crawls on the ground waddling towards it inch by inch. His eyes widening with every advancing step, his butt rocks underneath as if he is genuinely catching some kind of prey.

He starts to think it's not a metal beast at all. But in fact, there is some tiny creature inside that is somehow controlling it all.

He peaks up on his hind legs, hanging on to one of the metal flaps where he had seen the metal beast deposit some paper.

Just then, the machine chugs to life with a ‘click clang’. The cat is so startled by the sudden noise that he recoils away. But he’s determined to stay where he is, and he looks up, bobbing his head around trying to find the sources of the noise.

Akihito is so engrossed in this big machine that he doesn’t hear Kirishima and Suoh lightly snickering together at there desks. They were the ones that had seen how curious Akihito was in the office copy machine. They decided to turn it on when they saw him getting curious enough to get close. They wanted to see how the little cream color cat would react, and they were not disappointed.

The machine churns away, and Akihito’s hair stands on its end as the noises continue. He jumps up to one of the trays to continue investigating the sound.

‘Chchch brrrrrrrr- clank!’ Akihito flinches at every little noise. But, he stays wide-eyed in place as the paper empties out on the tray. His little paw bats the tray as the paper slides out of the copy machine. He waits as another piece of paper slides out, and then slams his paw down on it again. He smacks it again, as the machine continues with the same chorus of brrr’s and clanks.

He digs his paw into the tiny little slit where the paper is exiting from, trying to find the source of it all. He’s furiously batting his paws around, trying to reach into the interior of the machine.

More paper keeps exiting, and he bats it around even more. The paper starts to fold, bunch, and crease as it exits the printer, and his attack on the printer becomes more vicious.

Kirishima and Suoh snickering increases in volume, but the cat is still so focused on its battle with the mechanical monster to hear it. But the noise garnishes the attention of someone else.

“Having fun, kitten?”

Three heads turn instantly to Asami’s open office door. The man himself is leaning against the doorway, arms crossed, watching the events fold out.

Akihito looks back at the copy machine and bats it one more time with a sharp paw - just for good measure. Then he gracefully hops down and rushes over to Asami. When he gets to Asami’s feet, he lifts himself up on his hind legs and bats his paw around, looking to get picked up by the older man.

Asami obliges him and scoops up the little cat, “Be gentle to the copy machine Akihito, we need that, y’know.” He says teasingly as he scratches the kitten's nose.

He gets a playful meow in response.

“I have a meeting, downstairs so stay with Suoh alright, be a good kitty now.” He says and scratches his head one more time before placing him down.

Asami and Kirishima take the elevator down to a staff meeting. They’re a bit early. As they arrive, there's a group of female employees talking outside, waiting for the meeting to start.

One of the brave female employees, a receptionist on the executive floor, speaks up when she sees Asami. 

“Asami-sama,” she says respectfully and greets him with a curt bow, “we were all wondering - well.. What the name of that little cat you bring to work?” She says rather bluntly, but the is a warm smile on her lips.

Asami is taken aback by the question. It’s slightly impertinent to ask such a thing of your CEO, but the way they others crowd around its clear they all want to know. It’s not done out of nosiness but out of genuine curiosity.

He graced them with a small smile, “Akihito…”

They all turn to each other and murmur amongst themselves. Whispering about that, it was ‘cute’, and ‘how fitting’. The receptionist turned around to speak to Asami again.

“Well, let him know he has a little fan club around here! He actually reminds me a lot of my old cat, that died recently - so I love to see him!”

_A cat that recently died…._

“I’m sorry…how did your cat die?” Asami asks hesitantly.

“Oh. well…” She signed, “I bought a bouquet of flowers one day, and there was lily in the bouquet- it's deadly poisonous to cats, and I didn’t see the signs that he was sick until it was too late…”

“Certain plants are deadly?” Asami asks, growing increasingly curious.

“Oh, for sure. And you know cats will try to eat anything!”

_That sounds a bit like Akihito…_

He exchanges a looks with Kirishima, as if to say ‘take notes’.

Asami would make sure no single flower would ever have the chance to hurt Akihito. Nor anything else for that matter...


	55. Chapter 55

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ❤️ 😻😻😻😻❤️
> 
> another chapter of our cutie kitty🐈

Asami arrives back home after work. It’s late as it usually is. Asami opens the door, and he hears Akihito bolting from some other side of the apartment. As he always does. The boy wants to be the first thing you see when you step into the apartment.

He almost falls as he runs down the hallway, as he often does. He’s pretty clumsy. Asami is convinced it’s because he is used to his size and how he moves when he is is a cat. And it all gets thrown out the window, and he becomes uncoordinated and ungraceful in human form.

Although Asami can’t help but think it’s impossibly cute. Mainly because he’s rushing with such fever just to see Asami’s face, it’s in such contrast to yesterday, when Akihito had locked himself in his room because of his heat. Asami is reminded at how quiet the apartment had been yesterday without him jumping around.

“Asami! Asami!” Akihito playfully sings as he comes to a halt in the hallway. His face is clear, and his eyes big and beaming.

They go inside the apartment and have dinner.

Akihito makes a point to complain about the “dangerous beast” at Sion, and that Asami ought to be more careful. Asami explains that the copy machine is in fact, a valuable member of the Sion team. He explains what it does, and that although it makes a strange noise it's perfectly safe.

Akihito is privately not convinced, but he accepts Asami’s explanation.

They head to bed after that. Yesterday's little hiccup is all but forgotten, and they climb into bed together. Asami is again reminded of how strange it had seemed when he was not here. It feels natural and normal to have Akihito here, and he wouldn’t want it any other way.

Asami scoops up the little cat boy and pulls him close. He is just teaming with warmth and life. Asami honestly can’t imagine his life anymore without him anymore.

He had thought long and hard about what Ai had told him. And what Kiko had anticipated their relationship would be, she had always intended for the two of them to become an item.

And truthfully, in the back of his mind, he had always known that was the truth. Kiko had predicted, rightfully so, that Asami would be smitten with the little cat boy. She had said it herself, that Asami was ‘uniquely capable’ of taking care of Akihito. And it wasn’t just because he had the money and security to protect Akihito’s secret and care for him…

Akihito’s heat had revealed something important. That deep down, Akihito knew that too… 

Although he was still processing what that meant.

And although Ai, had suggested he let things run its natural course. To let the little late bloomer that was Akihito, figure things out, and process things on his own.

But that didn’t mean Asami shouldn’t help accelerate the process…a tiny bit…

“Akihito…” he says, pulling him closer by his lower back so that he’s right up against his chest. “I want to make something clear, in case it wasn’t already…”

He pushes Akihito’s chin up with a finger, so that golden eyes meet hazel ones. “Your mine.”

He pecks Akihito’s pink lips. The boy looks surprised by the kiss on the lips like he had the first time Asami had done it. As if his brain hadn’t computed what had just happened. Asami does it again, slightly longer this time, and his hand's stroke down his bareback.

“These lips are mine.” He says when he releases him. Akihito still looks wide-eyed, and his ears are perked up. He kisses him again, pulling him up and gently locking their lips together.

Asami’s hands wander down lower, and his hand brushes through Akihito’s fluffy tail. Akihito squirms a bit, as the kiss drags on and hands fondle his tail. Asami releases him from the kiss, and he sees that now Akihito’s face is bright red.

Akihito often blushed in human form. Of course, he did. He was always beaming and smiling and giggling. But this was a _different_ kind of blush.

Akihito cast his eyes down, and his hands go up to Asami’s chest as if it’s a barrier.

“Akihito…I want you… in my bed, always,” Asami says slyly. He squeezes him, and he brushes his lips across the boy's cheek and down to his jawline.

He pecks a kiss on his neck, and to that, Akihito meows defensively, and he tries to wiggle away from the kiss.

Asami looks up to look at him. Akihito is closing his eyes tightly, and he meows again angrily and his cheeks puff. He’s growing irritated. Probably because he thinks Asami is teasing him.

He pecks him again on his lips, and now Akihito pushing against his chest to getaway.

Asami releases him slightly, giving him some space. “Kitten. You know…you can kiss me as much as you like…”

He’s taken aback by it “R-really?”

“Of course, kitten…”

_______________________________

Regret. No. Regret was too harsh.

Akihito was far too sweet for regret.

But, Asami thought he should have perhaps phrased things a little differently.

“Akihito…” He says, Akihito interrupts him with…. _yet another…_ peck on the lips

“Sweet Akihito”. Another soft peck. “Akihito, it's late”. And another kiss is planted on his lips. “Kitten, it’s time for bed.” Yet another sweet little kiss lands on his lips.

It's been an hour and he hasn’t stopped. 

It was ridiculously cute and enduring. At first, Asami thought, how long could it possibly go on for? Oh but it did go on…

Asami puts a finger to Akihito’s lips. It wasn’t just cause it was late. It was cause it was getting harder and harder to hold back. How easy it would be to hold him down and show him what a real kiss was.

As soon as Asami raises his finger to stop Akihito from kissing him one more time, the boy's big hazel eyes get wide and confused looking.

_Oh no…_

Asami leans forward and softly pecks him. Akihito looks so very happy, and he can't deny him that, so scoops him up and kisses him once more...


	56. Chapter 56

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHH! 😱 You know when your like i am gonna take a few days off- its fine i'll be back and then THE WHOLE WEEK passes!! omg! Wow time flies, but anyway i'm back with another update. Probably will be updating tomorrow too 😊
> 
> Hope everyone is staying safe 
> 
> Enjoy! 😻🐈

The next morning they prepare to head to Sion as the two always did.

“What tie should I wear today, kitten?” Asami asks. 

After Asami, showered the two stood in Asami’s walk-in closet. The older man has already picked out a grey three-piece suit, and a white button-down to wear for the day. 

It's a small routine they do in the mornings, where he allows Akihito to pick his tie. Akihito's favorite was a silk butterfly tie, he usually choices it almost every day, but today he picked another one that was a dark navy. It happened to match a little better with the grey suit. 

The little kitten went over to the tie display and picked it up in his mouth and walked back over to Asami to drop it down in front of him. He was doing his best to be a little helper.

“Hmmm…very nice choice, my cute little Akihito. It goes very well with the grey, don’t you think.” Asami muses on. 

The cat meowed in response.

“You know kitten, maybe one day you would like to wear a suit…” Asami questions, as he wraps the tie around him.

The kitten only sits patiently upright and watches Asami put on the tie. The cat did not like wearing normal clothes, and he certainly didn't like the thought of wearing even more clothes like a suit. And while Asami always looks very good in suits and always looked very nicely dressed, it wasn’t something Akihito saw himself doing.

Kiko sometimes had Akihito wearing Yukata, especially in summers, and he didn’t mind wearing Yukata. Kiko had cut a place for his tail to stick out. They were also much more comfortable than having to wear a suit.

Akihito makes a little whining noise at Asami's suggestion. He also brings up his paws and covers his face to drive home the point that he didn’t like the thought of wearing a suit.

“Awww. No! Even though I bet you’d look very handsome in one,” He continued.

Akihito meowed. _He was already handsome!_ He thinks confidently

“By the way…I have a little present for you, Akihito.” He reaches into one of the cabinets in the closet and takes out a bag with colored tissue paper. He carefully places it on one of the cushion benches inside the walk-in closet. “Go ahead, open it up.”

Akihito pounces up on the bench and knocks down the bag, to search its contents. He sticks his head into it and momentarily gets his little head stuck in it. But he digs his paws in and takes out the colored tissue paper.

 _Wow. I love my present. I always loved colored tissue paper._ Akihito thinks, he takes out the tissue paper and scoops it up in his little paws and rolls around. He revels in the sound of the crinkly paper.

“No, you silly cat, not the tissue paper- what’s inside the bag,” Asami teases when he sees the cat is more preoccupied with the tissue paper than what's actually in the bag. He reaches down and takes out what's inside the bag and drops it down on the bench so the little kitten can see it. 

It's a small collar. It’s a red leather collar with studs, and there's even a little bell attached. It’s similar to the one Akihito found in the panic room, a while back ago. He had been keen on it, and while it looks very nice on him when he was human. It hardly fit his cat form.

But this little collar is not just your average cat collar.

Its custom made, just for Akihito.

There's a small golden ring in the front, where a gold bell charm is attached, and there are two straps of leather on either side of the ring. On one side of the leather strap, Akihito’s name is embroidered in tiny lettering. And both straps have small little round gold studs attached to them.

In the back, there is a traditional-looking buckle, but its actually just for decoration.

The unusual thing about this collar is actually a hidden strap, thats underneath the outside one. The strap actually adjusts on its own around the user's neck, so that it's never too tight or too loose.

Meaning, it’s perfect for Akihito to wear as a cat and then even while he transforms into his human form. The extra strap will increase the length, stretching it out and making the collar longer without having to manual clasp it.

It's such an easy little solution that will perfectly fit around both Akihito’s necks.

Asami explains all of this to the cat. Akihito is so excited when he hears he jumps around, meowing frantically. He jumps on his hind legs and then slams his front paws together on the collar on the ground.

He’s so animated about it that he doesn’t realize that Asami can’t put it around his neck while he’s dancing around.

Asami chuckles. “I see you really like it. Now let me put it on.” He’s buzzing in his seat on the bench when Asami places it around his neck.

Asami scoops him up so that he can look at the collar. “Looks very handsome on you. Why don’t we see how it looks, kitten?” He steps towards the full-length mirror in the closet and turns so Akihito can look at himself in the mirror.

Akihito perks up and bobs his head around so that he can see himself in the mirror. The little bell rings as the kitten moves around in Asami's arms. It's fortunately, not an obnoxious sounding bell. It gives only a light jingle. Akihito even likes the little sound it makes, and he’s so pleased that he sits up and licks Asami's face, showing his gratitude for the little present.

“Alright. I get it. I knew you would like it…” He says, stroking the cats back. “Shall we go to Sion. I have another little surprise for you there.”

The cat's ears perk up. _Another surprise!_ He thinks.

Asami looks at the little kitten, admiring his new collar. He thinks it does look very nice on him, and he finds himself thinking about what it will look like around Akihito’s skinny little human neck. And he finds himself looking forward to coming home tonight and seeing it on the boy.

“Hmm.. I think it suits you.” He remarks on again. He plants a little peck on Akihito’s pink little nose.

“Now, everyone will know who you belong to…” 


	57. Chapter 57

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This episode and the next few chapters are scenes that were part of my original ideas for Cat in the House. So basically some of the first ideas i ever had about this fic, that I am finally actually writing. 
> 
> which honestly just speaks to HOW much i have planned for this series that i haven't even gotten to some of the original ideas.. so thanks so much for sticking around! 
> 
> sorry it's a little late, it ended up being longer then I thought it would be but thats okay..
> 
> Have a nice weekend everyone! Stay safe out there! 😷❤️
> 
> 🐈🐈🐈❤️❤️❤️

They get to Sion, and Akihito stays in Asami’s office for a while. He sits in the man's lap, laying on his back, curling his little paws while Asami gently scratched his belly.

He's curious as to what the surprise was that Asami had talked about, but he was also perfectly satisfied with just laying here and getting endlessly pet.

Kirishima came in about 30 minutes later to talk to Asami. As he steps in the little cat perks up from laying on his back, his little head can be seen just above the desk.

“Sir, we have that meeting.” The secretary reminds Asami.

It was an important one, with a crime boss from Thailand. Phichit Saeli was an important contact in their Thailand trade. A reputable and highly respected one too. He was making a rare stop to Japan and wished to come to Sion to meet with Asami. They were going to discuss and work out this year's contract. Which meant, Akihito couldn’t be present.

Asami had instigated a rule that Akihito shouldn’t be present during business meetings. And especially so, during meetings that involved Asami’s criminal empire. In case he may overhear something unpleasant.

And since the meeting was to take place in Asami’s office, it needed to be cleaned up a bit to hide Akihito’s very existence. They need to get rid of the cat hair, the scratching post, and the cat bed, as those were things you didn’t usually see in a crime lords offices.

Asami decided that in the two hours he’d be busy in a meeting, he’d have something special planned for Akihito.

Asami looked down at the cat in his lap, “Akihito, remember I said I have something special planned for you today. Well, while I am at a meeting, you're going to have a little playdate with Suoh. Does that sound like fun to you?”

Akihito pounced up on his hind legs and balanced himself on Asami’s chest. His paws kneaded the man's chest, and he meowed excitedly. He liked this idea.

“BUT- sweet little kitty, you have to follow what Suoh says very carefully! Don’t stray from him. You have to be a good kitten! Alright?”

He meows enthusiastically. Asami scoops him up and kisses him on his forehead. As he stands Suoh walks in, and Akihito is handed to him. Asami waves goodbye to Akihito as Suoh takes the cat away.

The cat-related things are moved temporarily into storage. The office looks as it used to look before Akihito came. While they clean away, Kirishima persistently uses a lint roller on Asami’s suit.

Asami rolls his eye. It’s not that bad!

Phichit Saeli arrives, and they greet each other with a handshake. Asami gestures for him to sit in one of the leather couches nearby.

“Asami-sama, it is good to see you. It is very nice to be in Japan, I should come here more often!” He says being polite, he speaks in perfect Japanese.

“I would happily host you Saeli. You only need to ask. While you are here, it would be my pleasure to show all that Tokyo has to offer.” Asami responds, and he sits across from Saeli, crossing his legs in the process.

“You are also always welcome in Thailand. I know you are a busy man, Asami-sama, which is why I will make my visit here brief. But one day, when you have some time off, you should —-Ahhh ACCHHOOO- ohh! Excuse me.”

Saeli takes out a handkerchief and whips his nose. He had sneezed into his shoulder, and he was quickly adjusting himself.

“Well, shall we get down to busy” He continued, trying to ignore his little slip, but his face scrunched up again, “AHH ACHOO,” He sneezed into his handkerchief.

Asami looks on worriedly as Saeli sneezed again, “ACHOO- Oh, I am so very sorry. I don’t know why I am sneezing so much. Excuse me- AH ACHOO,”

He blew his nose into his handkerchief. “This is so strange, Asami-sama. ACHOO. I feel like I am having some kind of allergic reaction. But thats odd. I am only allergic to cats. AHah-ACHOOO.”

Asami and Kirishima exchange a look. Uh-oh…

_____________________________

“Akihito, Akihito- Slow down!” Suoh says he's taking Akihito on a little trip outside.

Asami had given him a matching red harness and leash for Akihito to wear when he went outside. While the collar could fit human Akihito, the harness was only for cat Akihito. And it was for this exact reason.

Akihito had twisted and turned as soon as they made it outside, he wiggling to be released and to touch the ground. As soon as Suoh had put him down in the courtyard outside of Sion, he started to run around, tugging Suoh along as he sniffed and explored everywhere.

The courtyard was kind of a mini-park, with benches and a few trees. It wasn’t like the open-air park Akihito had explored next to Asami’s apartment.

While they walked outside, Akihito was greeted by a few people who came up to pet the little kitty or take a picture of him exploring the great outdoors. The area by Sion was in Tokyo’s business district, so it wasn’t very crowded around this time as everyone was inside already.

A lady that worked in Sion, one of the receptionist, had seen Suoh leaving with the harness and collar and going outside. She came up and wanted to pet Akihito too.

“So, your name is Akihito? What a sweet little name!” She says, she carefully lets Akihito sniff her before she pets him. She remarked on his soft fur and playful and trusting personality. “He’s the cutest cat I’ve ever seen.” She said to Suoh, and she snaps a few pictures before heading back inside.

There was a food truck outside, and Souh bought Akihito a Taiyaki, a fish-shaped cake filled with custard.

“Don’t tell Asami-sama I’m spoiling you like this…” Suoh says as he passes half the fish treat to Akihito.

The cat's eye’ lit up, and he munched away. He very rarely ever got sweets- even though he had a sweet tooth, usually only on his birthday, or special occasions. Or if it was Hot Cocoa. He snarfed it all down as quickly as could be.

Suoh, who was sitting on a bench, was still finishing his half when the cat climbed up to the bench and sat up on his hind legs trying to reach Suoh’s half of the treat. He swatted his paw around playfully and meowed.

“Hey, this is my half!” Suoh chuckled, avoiding the cats batting paw.

Akihito was only playing, but he watched with envy as Suoh ate the rest of the Taiyaki. Suoh even let him have the last bite.

They continued on their little walk around the small square. Akihito was speed walking the entire time, staying a few feet ahead of Suoh.

He was a curious little thing. He looked at everything. He stopped to sniff something, or he’d climb on some bench and looked around.

Eventually, they head back into Sion, but they stayed around the first-floor lobby. Suoh removes the harness and the leash, allowing him to explore unimpeded inside.

The lobbies design is very contemporary, and there are some trees and greenery areas built inside the lobby. There’s even a complicated built-in koi pond and fountain that is built into the floor.

Akihito had always walked by it, while in the arms of Asami when they entered Sion together. But he never got to see it up close and personal like this.

He leans over the edge and taps the water with his paw. He bobs his head around, looking at the koi fish in the pond.

His eyes gleam when he sees the fish, and he moves around to another ledge to get a better look.

The koi fish also get closer. They probably believe they were getting fed or something like that. A few of them peek their head above the water, and the cat looks at them. He bends down and sniffs the fish that have bubbled up the surface. For a moment, Akihito's pink nose touches one of the fish, and he recoils at the cold and wet feeling.

He bats his paw lightly on top of the fish head and leans back down to sniff it again.

Suoh thinks the scene is so cute, Akihito making friends with koi fish!

But then just as suddenly and without warning, Akihito quickly thrust forward and snatches a fish with his paw. He bats it around at first, and then he scoops it up and bites down on it. He bites down on it a few times and quickly plucks it out of the water.

The bright redfish momentarily thrashes around in his mouth. Akihito rushes off with his prize in his mouth.

“Akihito!” Suoh cries in surprise! He follows after the cat. He’s not sure if Akihito should eat that.

The cat turns around with the large redfish in his mouth. He has a look, like he is beaming and smiling while he holds the fish. He looks so proud of his little catch. Then he rushes over to the elevator without warning.

He sits up on his hind legs and calls for the elevator himself.

“I see…you want to bring it up?” Suoh questions as he follows the cat into the elevator.

They aren’t in Asami private elevator, as Saeli is taking it down just as the two step into the elevator. Akihito gets up and pushes the button for Asami’s floor, and then sits back down next to Suoh. Since they aren’t on the private elevator, the elevator stops at a floor, and a man gets in, to go a few floors up.

He looks mystified as he enters the elevator, at the frankly bizarre scene he finds in an elevator at a top Japanese company. A tiny cream-colored cat holding a bright red fish in-between its mouth. And the largest blond man, he’s probably ever seen, apparently escorting the cat around. He even receives a mean-looking glare from the blond man as he enters.

For an awkward set of moments, he rides the elevator with them. Probably thinking, Mondays are pretty fuckin' weird. Until he gets off.

They get to Asami’s floor, and as soon as the doors open, Akihito bolts out of the elevator. He heads straight for the section which is closed off by double doors, where Suoh and Kirishima’s desks are, and Asami's office is too. The doors are closed as he reaches it, and Akihito swipes his paw on them, asking for it to be opened.

Suoh smiles while opening them, knowing precisely what Akihito is planning on doing. As soon as the doors crack open, Akihito slides right on through and rushes over to Asami’s office. The doors to Asami’s office are slightly ajar, and the cat dashes past Kirishima to get into Asami’s office.

Asami’s at his desk and he only sees the little blur that is Akihito rushing towards him. He lifts his eyes from a report he’s reading, as Akihito goes under his desk and comes out right in front of his feet.

The cream-colored cat drops the redfish right at Asami’s feet. He looks so pleased with himself, and he looks up to see Asami’s reaction.

“OHhh. Kitten! Where did you get that?!” Asami says, he’s genuinely surprised, and a grin builds on his lips, and so is a chuckle. “Did you catch that your self?!” He asks in astonishment.

Suoh enters, just then and sheepishly looks at his boss, “He wanted to bring it up to you right away,”

Akihito nudges the koi fish with his nose closer to Asami. “Is that for me, Akihito?” Asami says. “Oh, kitten!” He scoops up the cat, who’s hazel eyes are sparkling like crazy.

“Ohh. Well, I love it, kitten!”

Akihito rubs his head on Asami’s chest.

“That right, you’re a talented little fisher aren’t? You used to fish with Kiko, right?” Asami’s remembering Akihito talking about summers in Kanagawa’s and fishing with Kiko. He also remembers seeing that picture of a younger Akihito in the photo album in Hokkaido, with Akihito holding a large fish.

“We’ll have to get more koi fish in that pond, won’t we now!? I know! We’ll take it home, and we’ll fry it up and have it for dinner! You should eat what you catch, right?” He says playfully as he strokes Akihito down his back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> based on this hilarious video of a cat catching a koi fish: 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQ0uS-reQbE


	58. Chapter 58

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi y'all! ❤️
> 
> Just wanted to have a little serious conversation. The other day when I updated last, I got an interesting comment. One that I deleted right away because i was a bit hurt and frustrated from it.   
> But the more i thought about it, the more i wanted to just be as transparent as possible. I have nothing to hide, I think I've been fairly communicative, and to me this comment felt like they hadn't even read the story and they were just trolling.
> 
> But I wanted to make something clear, in case it wasn't. This is a fun, lighthearted, fluffy fan fiction about two CONSENTING ADULTS. period. end of discussion.
> 
> Akihito may act childishly- one because he is a cat. and two because it's done for comedic effect- but he is not a child. 
> 
> I think I have repeatedly made that fact clear. He is 23 years old. He is dumb (my idiot cat boy) he has been sheltered- which to me also fell in line with the canon story of Akihito being a virgin, innocent and not having any experience with women, let alone with men.
> 
> I have either state all of this explicitly in notes or written about it in the text or talked about it comments. And I've done it, since the beginning.
> 
> I will also note that this comment has not been my experience on A03. This is the first time I received anything negative, and I've only gotten kind words and lots of support. 💕 So thank you very much 😊
> 
> Now enjoy the new chapter. 😊

Kiko’s husband was a bit of an outdoorsman in his day.

Kiko had never been anything of the sort. The only amount of the “outdoors” she could handle was about as much as a rich socialite would do.

Sailing, boating on a yacht, skiing in Hokkaido. Or maybe staying at some mountain resort, where there was a spa. Y’know, the great outdoors!

As they got older, her husband had taken to fishing. It was perfect for an older gentleman.

He could fish while on the yacht, while she’d took a dip in the water or sun tanned on one of the platforms. She would usually watch as he fished, so she had probably inadvertently learned a thing or two about fishing that would come in handy for later in life.

Children had never been in the wheel house for Kiko and her husband. It was a personal choice they had decided on long ago. It was just simply not in the cards for them. Both had pretty blooming social lives and careers. Children for them- it was as if they hadn’t missed much in that department.

It gave them their independence. They had always made families in other ways, with there close friends and co-workers.

It had came as quite a shock to Kiko when her husband died. He had a stroke while in the office. He was in the hospital for a few days, and he appeared to recovering. Then he suddenly had another and died.

She didn’t think she’d ever recover, and a part of her had regretted not having children when they had the chance. But she did recover, and she found a new path working at Sion.

Then of course, she had found Akihito, and her life seemed to take a turn for the better. She had always believed that if her husband were alive, he would have also taken in Akihito like he was a son.

Akihito and Kiko lived in Toyko for a few years, while she still worked at Sion. She thought for a while, she could balance working full time and raising the cat boy. But eventually, it got to be to much as Akihito got older and needed more full time attention.

She retired from Sion, which was quite a big step. Akihito had always liked spending a few weeks in Kanagawa during the summer holidays, so it seemed the perfect place to move to. The beach house in Kanagawa was situated in a quiet and peaceful area. Private property allowed Akihito to run around as freely as he liked. She had wanted to give him that.

The two had just gotten back from a small trip to Tokyo. They had just returned from their first meeting with Ai Momohara, Akihito’s new vet. Ai Momohara turned out to the perfect doctor, although it had been stressful finding the perfect candidate. Then, of course, there was the reaching out to her and explaining the situation.

Boy, had she been shocked when she had seen Akihito for the first time. But she was determined to help. Kiko had never thought she’d ever tell anyone about Akihito, but she had become a little desperate for help.

Because a few months ago, Akihito had fallen into his first ever heat.

He had grown suddenly over the last year or so. He was still his skinny and lanky self but he had gotten a few inches taller. He just simply no longer looked as much as that child that had hidden in her closet when they first met.

Ai Momohara had said his heat was actually an indication of his “coming of age” and that from now on, he’d have his heat every month.

The trip to Tokyo had been a stressful one.

At least, Kiko had got to see Asami. It was almost his 30th birthday, and she was making arrangements to go to the Club Sion for the event early next month.

However, she wanted to do something fun with Akihito beforehand. Something to cheer him up after all the dreadful worrying, and all the trips to the doctors. Kiko had been so upset and stressed by it, and clearly the cat had taken notice and it was starting to worry even him.

So for this summer, Kiko was planning a small little trip. They were going to take the yacht out for the weekend for a little trip, just the two of them.

She got all the supplies together. Food, extra food just in case Akihito finds it and eats everything. Then there was some sun tan lotion, and extra gasoline for the boat. She packed a bag for both her and Akihito, some clothing and some swim trunks. Kiko even packed all of her husband's old fishing gear too.

They set out on their little trip and boated up the coast towards Kanagawa's central city. During the day they hung around, she’d read to him, or just pet him. She had set up the all the fishing things and they would occasionally catch a few things.

She even took a dip in the water. Akihito didn’t like that, as he had taken to believing anytime, she got into any body of water- that she was actually drowning. Even when it was just a bathtub. So he’d bat his paw around and meow nervously whenever she got in the water. He’d make her hold his little paw.

On this occasion she tugged on the paw and pushed him into the ocean.

“MEOOWWW,” he angrily yelled, and he clambered around in the water. He splashed water around and hurriedly made his way to the steps to get back on dry land.

Kiko laughs at him, and helps boost him up into the boat. She follows behind him.Knowing she’ll need to dry him off.

He shakes his whole body to rid himself of the water and he continues to meow angrily, and make whining noises. She scoops up the tiny cat and towel dries him.

“I am sorry dear you got a little wet, but it was refreshing wasn’t it?”

They went inside the boat, and she blow-dried him, so he’d quit yammering. As soon as she was done, he had to re-groom himself. He licked himself all over and then napped for a bit afterwards.

While they lounged on one of the decks, she saw a boat coming their way. A boat she recognized, as belonging to one the locals in Kanagawa. A man by the name of Hoshi Sakurai, he was a middle class fisherman from Kanagawa. Her husband had been friendly with him, as they often went fishing together.

She sat up and waved to him, as he approached the boats stern. The man stopped the boat nearby and came over to greet Kiko.

“Haven’t seen you on your boat for a long time?” Sakurai says, waving to Kiko.

“Well the weather finally came around! Me and Akihito are just sun bathing.” She says as Akihito perks his head up to look at the boat.

They talk for a little while, some basic pleasantries and then they say good bye and he pushes off on his boat to do his fishing. Kiko watches him leave. Her husband had always liked him, and she wanted to be friendly with him after her husband had died. But there was something about him that she wasn’t to keen on.

In any case, they moved along the yacht and brought it to a more secluded area for when the sun went down. Kiko wanted to bring him closer to Tokyo so they could see the lights from the water. Kiko had brought a Yukata for Akihito to wear, and her favorite emerald kimono for her self.

They dressed and sat outside on one of the long white sofas. Akihito lounged around spreading himself out he drapped himself over the edge so his hand could sweep the water, just below him.

“Grandma! Do you remember when we caught that sea bass!?” He turns around an elated look on his face.

How could she possibly forget? It was the first time they summered together in Kanagawa when he was younger and they caught a fish over 2 feet in length and probably about 70 pounds.

“Of course dear, I remember we had fish for weeks!” She laughs.

Akihito leans his head back on the couch, and turns to look at her. His hazel are sparkling and his ears and alert and perked up. “Do you think we’ll catch another one?!”

“Well..I suppose we’ll have to see, wont we? Doesn’t the city look nice from here though, Akihito? You know I am planning another little trip to Tokyo soon- one that will be much more lighthearted. A birthday party!” She continued. She leaned over the side herself and took in the glittering city in front of them. They could see Tokyo off in the distance, from where they were perched.

“A birthday party?! Can I come?!” Akihito sat up and looked at Kiko with eager looking face.

“Oh, well. Perhaps for a little bit. I’ll save you some cake- how about that?Perhaps you could meet one of my old friends.” She suggested.

Just then the fishing rod that was all set up, in the back of the boat tugged on something. “Oh- look! we caught something!” She said and they rushed over to where the rod was attached to the side of the boat. Kiko scooped it up and started reeling in her catch.

“Did we get a sea bass!?” Akihito jumped up and down next to her, his excitement evident.

It took a while but she reeled one in. And to Akihito’s delight - it was in fact a sea bass.

It was not as large as their previous catch, from all those years go. But still a good catch, the biggest catch of the day. About a foot long, and easily about 20 pounds. Akihito helped bring it inside.

“I’ll fry it up for dinner, how about that Akihito as a little treat!? We should be able to eat what we catch shouldn’t we?”

Akihito was so very pleased with the idea, and so they worked in the boats kitchen together. He didn’t know much about cooking but he was so eager to learn, Kiko was convinced he must have had a natural instinct when it came to cooking. 

Or maybe he just liked food.

All that was left was for time to work it magic and cook the fish wholly on the grill. Akihito had gone off to set the table outside, while she worked away on finishing their late night dinner.

As she was finishing up, time must have gotten away from her and so did her surroundings. By the time she plated the fish, she turned around and looked out the window.

Her heart sank, and her blood raced. She almost dropped the fish. But right outside the window in the kitchen was a familiar ship, Sakurai ship. It had pulled up right next to the yacht, they were almost connected.

Akihito!

She left the food on the table and rushed out, she wasn’t sure where Akihito had gone off to. He had left her side for what felt like such a short period. But it had probably been over 15 minutes had probably past, and in that time Sakurai ship appeared. 

Sakurai’s ship appeared and she hadn’t heard it.

“Akihito?” She called out when she opened the sliding doors of the boat to the outdoor section where they had been lounging earlier.

Akihito was sitting on the couch, he looked like he was frozen stiff. Eyes wide in one of the spotlights, his ears perked up high, his mouth slightly agape. He was looking right at Sakurai, and Sakurai was looking right at him with a peculiar look on his face. 

Sakurai was on the other side of him, still on his boat but probably only two feet away from Akihito.

Akihito looked for a moment like he was curious and he leaned in to get a closer look of the man. His head cocked to one side and then one of his ears twisted back. A sign of his confusion and curiosity.

“Akihito!” Kiko called.

He jolted back to life and turned around quickly to look at her, Sakurai did the same.

“Akihito, quickly come here. Get inside.”

He seemed to recognize the command in her voice and he jumped up from his seat and clumsily, but quickly scuttled to where she was and got inside the boat. Kiko closed the door behind him. Her eyes never leaving Sakurai.

This was bad. She could feel it in her bones.


	59. Chapter 59

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorrry no Asami again this episode although he is here in spirit. 😂 (we miss him 😭)  
> Just badass grandma's today 😎
> 
> Enjoy ❤️

The awkward pause seemed to go on for what felt like hours.

Kiko was standing up straight, head high, her mouth in a fine line. She cupped her hands together, waiting for a response—anything at this rate.

She never let her gaze fall off Sakurai. He was silently looking at her, a blank expression on his own face.

“Kiko…” He finally spoke. “W-what was that- that…thing?”

Even though she was feeling so on edge, she was trying to remain hopeful. Hopeful that Sakurai would keep his mouth shut. That he would understand - as Ai Momohara had understood. But, the fact the first thing out of his mouth was to call Akihito a “thing.”

It wasn’t boding well.

“H-his names Akihito-” She wanted to start off easy, but she is interrupted.

“Akihito? Th-the cat? Tha-thats, your cat?!” He says, his voice raised in alarm. He’s gesturing wildly, pointing a harsh finger around as he speaks.

“I know this is very shocking to you, Hoshi.” She says calmly. She uses his first name to try to appeal to him. “But- he’s just a child. He’s just a kitten. I’ve been taking care of him…”

“Where did it come from?!” He says his eyes take on a wild look. But Kiko only replies calmly and collectively.

“I found him. Five years ago,”

“And W-what is it exactly?”

“I-I don't really know what he is. I just found him this way. He turns into a cat, but then he transforms into a human.”

Kiko was trying to stay calm, trying to be truthful. Being honest is sometimes the best remedy, even though truthfully Sakurai had no right to know any of this. But if she can be open, perhaps it would calm the situation down. Maybe he would see the humanity of Akihito, see that he was just a kitten worthy of protection, worthy of care, and worthy of love.

She was trying her best to ignore how he called Akihito an “it,” but it stung at her each time he said it. How could she possibly convince this man that in “it” was worthy of anything…

He paused again and gave her an abrasive look.

She steps forward, “Sakurai, please. Why don’t you come aboard, and we can talk this out- like reasonable people.” She tries.

Sakurai shakes his head, and he starts to back away. “Kiko. That- that thing it's not a human! It's not natural!?” He backs up and turns away from her and starts to head towards his boat controls.

Kiko’s heart just sinks further into her chest, and she rushes over to the edge. “Sakurai! Please! Akihito is like a son to me! Please, we can talk this out, please!” She begs, her body starts to tremble. But Sakurai is already heading up a set of stairs to where the controls are on his boat. He starts it, and the engines roar to life. 

Kiko’s desperate tears sting in her eyes. “Please! Hoshi! He’s just a child! I’ll do anything please! They’ll take him! SAKURAI!”

The fisherman’s boat pulls away, and he leaves her there, yelling and begging after him. She covers her mouth and watches as the boat slowly goes out on the horizon view. She’s in shock. She leans over the railing, tears flooding her eyes, and her nose sniffles away everything.

It's not a graceful bout of crying. It’s ugly and heartbreaking.

How could it have turned so bad? Kiko’s beside herself when suddenly Akihito appears in front of her. The worry and fear are so evident on his facial features.

His ears are turned down in front of him, and he bits his bottom lip nervously. The long bushy cream-colored tail is held nervously in front of him. Hazel eyes are big and scared, but he moves over to her to comfort her and to see if she’s alright. He makes soft-sounding “meows” at her under his breath.

How much did he hear? How much had he understood? She’s not sure. But it only breaks her heart even more to see him, and her cries come out even more uncontrollably.

He helps her to sit up and guides her inside the yacht. His eyes are beginning to become wet and sad. He doesn’t like to see his Grandma crying, and it's making him start to cry watching her.

Akihito sits her down at a sofa inside and kneels down low next to her. He rests his head on her lap and begins to tear up himself. He reaches his hand up and he tries to brush away some of her tears, and he makes whining noise and meows. But he doesn’t say anything.

They sit there like that for a while. Kiko finally gets a hold of herself. She’s no longer sad. She’s boiling with rage. She tries to formulate what to do now.

Was he going to go back to shore? Is he going to tell everyone? Will Akihito be taken away from her? What should she do?

Then an idea hits her like a ton of bricks.

There was someone she knew who could help… someone who’s job was to make things disappear… someone who was a fixer by trade…

 _Asami_ …

There is a satellite phone on the boat, and she knows by heart his office number and even his personal number. He’d probably still be in his office right now.

She had known for some time that Asami was a man with _connections_. She never knew anything concrete or asked questions or pried. But it was rather obvious the more you knew him, that he was somehow involved in some underworld dealings. 

He was a man who could get things done, and sometimes that meant bending the rules a bit.

He could fix this, couldn’t he?

Asami probably had agents or connections in Kanagawa right now. It was entirely possible that his agents could meet Sakurai as soon as he docks his boat. Before there's a chance for him to tell a soul about Akihito, they could... - end him.

GOD. What am I thinking? Isn’t that a horrible thing to do, or to even think? She thinks to herself.

She had to know deep down what she was asking for if she got Asami involved. Wasn’t she _arranging_ to make it so- to make Sakurai disappear along with everything he knew about Akihito?

It would mean Asami would find out about Akihito…What would happen if he reacted the same way…wouldn’t that just be worse. But. No. She didn’t want to believe that Asami would do the same thing.

She closes her eyes, trying to think things through. Wasn’t Sakurai more or less condemning Akihito to death - or close to it if the world found out about his. Suppose he got taken away by some government agency or something horrible like that.

But maybe she was just jumping to conclusions, and he wasn’t going to say anything. Perhaps he was just shocked and trying to process everything. And here she was ready to end his life, to be his judge and executioner.

She was starting to calm down again, and she patted Akihito on the head. “It-its alright, dear. It’s going to be alright. Grandma’s just- just being silly.” She says, wiping her tears away.

It would take Sakurai maybe an hour before he docks in Kanagawa. She had to decide. Spare a man and take a chance that he won’t talk. Or call Asami, and get a different kind of help. Life or death. A gamble or certainty…

She’s looking at the phone attached to a nearby wall. On some level, she has already made up her mind. There can be no leaving things to chance when it comes to Akihito…she knows that. She knows in her heart that there are no depths she wouldn’t go down into for Akihito’s sake.

The call needs to come in now, or it could be too late. Kiko resolves herself. She’ll ask Asami this favor. 

He’d probably do it without much of an explanation. But she’ll tell him that she will explain everything, just not over the phone. It’ll explain itself as soon as he sees Akihito for himself. She can take the boat up to Tokyo and dock it there.

She'll meet with Asami, show him, Akihito- he’ll understand. He’d want to protect Akihito, too. She just knows thathe will.

The older woman sighs, preparing herself for his conversation. She’ll have to get Akihito out of the room, so he doesn’t hear. She stands up and heads towards the satellite phone. But before she can reach it, she looks out the window and see’s Sakurai’s boat coming back in her direction.

She feels relief at the sight. Doesn’t this mean he's willing to talk? Maybe she doesn’t have to take such drastic actions. Maybe it could all be worked out.

“Stay here, Akihito. Please. W-why don’t you eat something? It’s alright. It’s going to be okay.” She says, picking the boy up and wiping away his tears. She cups his face up and gives him a reassuring nod. He nods his head, signaling he’ll stay inside.

She walks back outside the yacht and climbs up to the upper platforms. She stands over the railing solemnly as Sakurai re-approaches the yacht. He parks his boat, so they are side by side. He gets off the controlling and heads to his side of the railing.

He has a determined face on, but after a moment, he finally speaks. “I won’t tell anyone about the-the cat.”She can’t help but deeply exhale in relief. “But…” Her heart sinks again. “…I need money..”

__________________________________

That was how Kiko found herself getting blackmailed by Sakurai. She was willing to pay him. She had tons of money after all.

At first, she thought it was a fair arrangement. He was a working-class fisherman who did need financial stability. She felt it was a logical bargain. She wanted to believed that it wasn’t personal- it was just business. He wasn’t a malicious person, only someone who had found himself in a situation where he could benefit financially.

He was willing to take payment in small installations so that it wouldn’t raise any red flags with her own financial statements. At first, Sakurai was even very reasonable.

Kiko wanted so badly to believe that if she just paid him for his silence, he would go away once his demands where met.

But he never did, and he kept demanding more and more. While his actions became more hostile and threatening. Sakurai would come to the house drunk and demand more money. He had stopped working and probably believed he could continue to leech off of Kiko. 

She was able to go to Tokyo the following month. For Asami’s 30th Birthday Party she had thought about not going at all. But it became an opportunity for her to ask for a gun. Knowing that Asami could provide her with one. He didn’t press her for a reason why.

At that point, she didn’t want to involve Asami. It had gotten too personal, frankly. She also still believed that she could handle it herself. Perhaps the whole situation had made her slightly paranoid.

She didn’t get the gun from Asami with the intention of killing. She had only gotten it for her own safety. As the man was getting more and more combative and bold with every new demand.

Akihito had been shielded from all of this. She could tell though that he was growing agitated and nervous by his visits. He’d ask questions and ask her if she was okay.

One evening, about a month after Asami's birthday, the two are at home cooking in the kitchen. She was showing Akihito how to make pork katsudon. One of his favorite meals, besides fish.

It's a simple breaded pork thats lightly fried. When they cooked together, she’d handle all the dangerous aspects, the knives, the hot oil, and the hot pans. Just so that he didn’t hurt himself. But she had given him a task, that she often gave him.

Akihito manned the meat tenderizer. 

He'd pound the meat with the hammer so that it would become thin medallions. Each piece was then coated with an egg wash and then covered with Panko bread crumbs.

“Be careful with that hammer, dear, you could hurt yourself. Make sure your hands aren’t getting hit.” She said, watching him pound away at the pork.

He gave her a soft smile and nodded. But, he continued on with his little task, which he was delighted with.

He was wearing some shorts and a tank top, and he had her apron pinned on his lithe body. He looked adorable. Like a little housewife.

Thats when the ring came from the gate. It was late, already past 10 o’clock, so it could only be one person.

Kiko calms herself. She buzzed Sakurai into the gate and turned to Akihito. For some reason, she was getting a feeling that tonight was different. That Akihito needed to be as far away as possible from here.

She leads him away from the kitchen and towards one of the storerooms behind the kitchen. She told him to hide and not to come out no matter what he hears.

“Listen carefully, dear. Stay here. Only come out when I come and call for you. Alright? Don’t leave.” She said while he hid in one of the cupboards. He was skinny and, he fit comfortably. He looked so scared and nervous, but she reassured him and petted him on his head, “It’s going to be alright, Grandma will be right back.”

It was at times like this that she wished she had done more preparations. Like if she were to die, what would become of Akihito. Who would take care of him? Would he be alone? Would he get discovered and then be taken away? Would all her work to protect him be in vain?

But she resolved herself. Today was not going to be that day.

She loads the little pearl-handled handgun, and hides the weapon behind her back and tucks it into her pants. She goes to the entrance to greet Sakurai.

The man is stepping out of his car. He’s drunk again, His voice husky and slurring.

It’s time Kiko ended this once and for all...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This episode is brought to u by pork katsudon, which is probably my favorite Japanese food. I made some this week too, just for the occasion. 😏😏


	60. Chapter 60

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg 60 chapters! holly hell 💕🐈 Thank you to everyone who's stuck around for it all! Love you guys, it honestly means the world to me 😭❤️❤️❤️
> 
> I am probably gonna be taking a break for about a week, want to finish up some other things but i'll be back soon enough 😊😊

Asami had taken a few days off to enjoy a long weekend with Akihito in Kanagawa.

It was still winter, but the weather had gotten a bit nicer. The salty but bitterly cold wind in your lungs- it has its charms.

Asami thought it was a good idea since he was starting to learn that although Akihito was a "house cat". He actually did like being outdoors. His little escapades in the park had proved that, and then there was the little outdoor playdate he had with Suoh that he hadn’t stopped talking about.

There was also another matter Asami had to attend to while he was here in Kanagawa.

But, for now. They had just arrived at Kiko’s beach house. Akihito had practically been bouncing in the car when he found out they were going to Kanagawa. It had been almost five years since he’d been in Kanagawa.

It was still day time when they arrived, although it was about 5:00, which meant the sun was on its way down pretty soon. The cleaning crew was just leaving. They were there to clean off some of the dust that had formed after the house had basically been left vacant for five years. And to do some quick maintenance before Asami and Akihito arrived.

Kiko’s yacht, which had also been parked on the private dock for the last five years, was also given a clean and maintenance. Asami was actually planning on having some remodeling done and was planning to ensure the property would be kept in tip-top condition.

Especially since he had a feeling, Akihito would be keen on spending more time here. As soon as the doors opened, Akihito pounced out of the limo and ran straight for the shore.

But as soon as his little pink paws touched the cold water, it was immediate regret. He jumped, and made angry-sounding meow and backed away. He started to lick his paws to get rid of that cold feeling, but they were now coated with sand.

He rushes back to Asami to get the sand off him. Asami scoops him up, “We’ve only been here five minutes, and you’re already covered in sand.” He says, and he starts to brush off the cat's paws as he walks inside the house.

He lets Akihito explore the house for a while. To visit his old room and to reacquaint himself with the space. Mostly everything is exactly as he remembers. He goes to sit with Asami in the living room.

They sit together and watch as the sun goes down on the horizon. It looks picturesque over the ocean. The sky’s fills with pinks and yellows, it seems utterly dreamy.

As the last gasp of sunlight falls, Akihito transforms while he sits next to Asami.

He rests his head back on the older man's shoulder, the thin red collar on his pretty neck. The bell jingles as he nuzzles his face into the other man. Asami pulls him closer by the small of his back.

He cups Akihito’s chin up so there looking at each other before Asami gives a small peck on Akihito’s plump lips. He tastes and smells a bit like the ocean, and Asami deepens the kiss.

Asami doesn’t hurry to pass on a nearby blanket to cover Akihito’s nakedness. Instead, he traces the back of his hand up Akihito’s bare outer thigh. He sweeps lightly past his perfect little tush and then up his delicate hips and to his waist.

“Pretty kitty,” Asami says as he makes the same motion again. Big curious hazel eyes look up at him, the whole time.

Eventually, he passes the blanket and tells Akihito about the other surprise.

“You need to get dressed, we're going outside."

“Why are we going outside, it cold?” Akihito whines.

Asami scoops up Akihito's hand and plants a kiss on it. “We’re going to be spending the night on the boat, kitten.”

Kiko’s property is actually situated on a cove. And the docks are on the outer edge side of the property and sticks out quite far. It’s an old dock, not like some small dock on the edge of a property. It's large and long. It needs to be to accommodate the 40-meter long yacht. The cove is to shallow for most large boats, so the large dock is necessary to reach deeper waters.

They get on the boat, and Asami operates the controls taking the two only a little way off from the house. The house is still in view from where they anchor.

They don’t sit outside, as it too cold for Akihito. But they have some dinner inside, and then Asami takes Akihito to bed a bit earlier than normal.

As soon as the cat falls asleep, Asami sits up and heads outside. It’s still pretty early for the crimelord, who's is used to going to bed sometime after 3 AM. He puts on a bathrobe and sits on a sofa outside for quick smoke.

He had admittedly come to Kanagawa for another reason, upon reading some of Kiko’s journal. He read about her troubles with Sakurai, a certain fisherman from Kanagawa who caused her grief and blackmailed her.

He wished Kiko had just gone to him. It would have saved so much trouble. He would have found out about Akihito sooner. However, Kiko couldn’t have anticipated what was going to happen. Unfortunately, the whole situation made her wary about telling anyone else about Akihito.

He sits back in his chair and looks over to the dock on Kiko’s property. He can see his men working on the dock with a crane…going fishing.

They’re digging out Sakurai’s car.

It was clever of Kiko to drive it off the dock. He imagined she had used something as simple as rock to hold the gas pedal down and let it sink into the ocean.  
It disposed of the car and the body as well.

Asami chuckles slightly to himself. Kiko really was a model Sion employee, wasn’t she?

She had even parked the boat in front of it, just to be on the safe side. That was partially why Asami had chosen to take Akihito out on it. That, and to keep him as far away as possible, so he wouldn’t have to remember anything unpleasant.

Asami was here to help erase any trace of it. Though Kiko had done a marvelous job on her own. The car would be transported out in pieces. While the remains of the Sakurai would probably get thrown back in the ocean somewhere far away.

She had avoided much of the police investigation into Sakurai’s disappearance. As nobody was looking at the 65-year-old socialite, who was vaguely connected to the middle-class fisherman. Apparently, the rumor in town was that Sakurai was actually still alive. Some believed he had fled the city after getting caught up in some other scheme that landed him in trouble with some local organized crime.

In any case, Sakurai’s body is carted away and put on another boat to be dumped a few miles out. 

His body is not riddled with bullets.. In fact. Kiko had never even used the gun Asami had given her. No..

Sakurai had died from a blow from the back of the head…with a meat tenderizer.

_______________________________

Kiko had been so confident. But she messed up.

After invited Sakurai inside, the two argued. He was acting his usual brutish self. He yanked at her wrist and pushed her. Eventually, she brandished the gun.

He turned out to not be as drunk as he appeared and there was a struggle.

It was like she saw her life flash before her eyes as they squabbled over the gun. Sakurai had the upper hand physically. He had tackled her and would surely win over. And once he did, Akihito would certainly be next.

It was scrappy. She cursed and scratched and batted as her life depended on it- and it certainly did. But then she hears a loud clunk, and Sakurai lifelessly body slumps into her.

Akihito was standing over him. His cat ears cast down, his face shows a mix of emotions. Both sad, scared, horrified, and nervous. The color completely drained from his face, and he trembled like a leaf.

The meat tenderizer falls from his grasp and lands on the floor with another clunk.

Kiko knew it was a horrible thing to think at the moment, but she had never been more grateful that Akihito wasn't the type to ever listen to her.

__________________________________________

Akihito was pretty bleak for the next few weeks after that. He was not his usual bubbly self, and she knew she had to do something about it.

Eventually though, those memories would melt away. He seemed to have blocked them out entirely. And for that, Kiko was very grateful for.

An investigation never even reached them, as they left Kanagawa about two weeks later. She told her friends that it was just for a ski trip, and she’d be back. So nobody would question why she was suddenly upending her life in Kanawaga when coincidentally, a man she knew had disappeared without a trace at the very same time.

She had only been contacted by police once. They called her for a phone interview a few weeks later once his disappearance was ruled to be suspicious. They only asked her if she had noticed anything different about his behavior. Or if he mentioned anything about money to her.

She had told the inspector that she hardly knew Sakurai. That he was just an old friend of her husband that she sometimes contacted. And that he occasionally did some manual labor for her around her house and on her boat. They even graciously thanked her for her help, and they never called again.

Hokkaido was another vacation spot her husband had always been fond of. She, of course, preferred the beach. She wasn’t sure exactly where to go, after what had happened. But she knew Kanagawa would be off-limits for at least a little while. Hokkaido was only meant to be temporary.

When they first arrived in Hokkaido, it had been understandably a depressing time for the both of them. Neither of them particularly wanted to be in there. It was isolating and cold. But they were trying to make the best out of a prickly situation.

On one of their first weeks there, it snowed. Akihito had only seen a little bit of snow before. It was a rare sighting for him. She took him outside and slowly put the cat down on the few inches of snow that had built up on the deck.

He didn’t like the cold feeling on his paws. And later, when he had transformed, she wrapped him up in like five layers and put a scarf and hat over his ears. He whined and whined, but it had really been the most lively he’d been since the Sakurai incident.

When they went back inside after playing in the snow for a bit, and Akihito happily stripped all his layers. Kiko turned on the fireplace for them to warm themselves up.

“Akihito, Let's make hot cocoa?!” she suggested

His eyes lite up like they hadn’t in weeks. His sweet tooth was to easy a weakness to exploit.

“Hot cocoa!” He repeated. He likely didn’t know what it was, but it sounded delicious!


	61. Chapter 61

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So as some of u may know, i had some computer troubles these past few weeks. I posted about on something wicked. It prevented me from posting or really working on anything. I got my computer back yesterday after 2 weeks of it being in a shop 😭😭😭😭 it cost 600$ to fix 🥺😩. My screen was the major problem but they also got me a new keyboard and battery which did not cost extra- because that was apparently under warranty but the rest wasn't. Fortunately, it looks and feels like a brand new computer as it feels like everything has been replaced.
> 
> I was so excited i got my computer back that i went right back to work! Since so much recent news has been depressing it really cheered me up to write some fluff, and take my mind off of the crazy world we live in. i think we all need a little bit of fluff.

Back at the office, Akihito gets paid a visit by the receptionist who works on the executive floor. Sakura Nakano has worked at Sion for five years. She worked as a secretary to one of the executives until she got promoted to be a receptionist on the executive floor—the same floor where Asami’s office is.

She has become quite a big fan of the little cat. Suoh met her a little while back ago when he and Akihito were having their little playdate outside. She took pictures of Akihito and petted him.

Suoh secretly allows her to come in and pet the cat. When Kirishima’s not around, as he would persist that she get back to work. But, Sakura has visited the cat almost every day now. She comes when Asami has meetings or when Kirishima is away.

Akihito likes all the attention he gets when she comes to visit. So he’s taken to greeting her every time she enters the office. Although she sometimes tends to try to pick him up. Which he doesn’t like.

But today he can smell something on her, something that smells very good. So he greets her with a chorus of ‘Meows’ as she enters the office.

“Hello, Aki!” She says as she enters. She’s carrying some bag of treats. She explains to Suoh that some of the receptionists have chipped in and purchased some cat-friendly treats from a nearby bakery, just for him. The little treats are in the shape of fish.

“Better keep them very far away from him!” Suoh laughs. Akihito has already begun to curiously look at the bag with his eager eyes.

Akihito has a little fan club at Sion. It all started ever since he first started visiting Sion. The small group communicates with each other on a group chat. They share pictures or videos of “Akihito sightings”, and talk about their own cats.

The little fan club has even outgrown the “Asami fan club”, who are a group of employees who find their boss to be ridiculously attractive.

The Akihito fan club, occasionally organizes little gifts, including treats and toys that they give to Akihito. One woman has even promised to knit him a sweater.

Asami finds it all bit endearing. But he’s taken encourage them to donate their gift to cat charities instead or to the local animal hospital. As Akihito really doesn’t need to be spoiled like that. (Not more than he already is!).

The bag she has is actually some of the donations Sakura has collected for the local animal hospital. Another Sion representative will drop off the assortments of treats afterward.

Akihito’s already trying to jump on top of the desk to get a good look at the little treats. He bobs his head around, trying to get a good look and meows enthusiastically.

“Nah-uh, Aki this is going to charity.” Suoh says, picking up the bag already. He’ll probably have to put it somewhere like inside his desk to hide away from the little cat.

“He can have one, can’t he?” Sakura interjects. She sees the eager look on Akihito’s face. Akihito meows in agreement and bats his paw around.

Suoh relents and takes out one of the fish-shaped treats. He gives it to Sakura so that she can feed the tiny cat. She leans down and gives the small little treat to Akihito. He picks it up in his mouth and absconds away to eat it under Kirishima’s desk.

He eats it in one bite and licks his paws to get any last bit of crumbs that may have been left there. Then he peeks back out, to see if he can push for another. He knows his best chance to get another is to get to Sakura, as nothing gets past Suoh.

So he jumps out of his hiding place and rushes over to Sakura. He tangles himself in her legs, his fluffy tail playfully tickling her leg. And he meows and looks up at her longingly.

Sakura bends down and pets him. “Look at this. He’s flirting!” She says with a chuckle and scratches his chin.

Flirting? Akihito questions. He didn’t think he was flirting.

“How about a kiss Akihito? Hmm? Can I get a kiss for giving you a treat?” She asks, and she bends down to plant a kiss on the cat's nose. She scoops him up on either side of him and leans down to plant a wet one on his little pink nose.

She even makes a little kissy sound. But she is stopped by two paws that suddenly go over her lips that keep her lips at bay.

Akihito meows defensively. For a moment, she leans away from the cat, and he puts his paws down. But then she tries again. Akihito blocks the kiss once again with his little paws. He even pushes his head away slightly as she gets to close.

No. No kisses, please. Akihito thinks to himself, as he tries to push her away and blocks her kisses.

Sakura laughs. And tries even a third time, but Akihito is just not having it. She is blocked once again by his little paws.

“Alright. Okay. No kisses.” She laughs and straightens out and puts the cat back down. “Next time, I’ll get a kiss, though right?” She says, turning to leave as Kirishima and Asami are bound to arrive back from their meeting at any moment. She says goodbye to Akihito and then to Suoh as she departs to head back to her office.

She leaves very timely as a few moments after her departure, the private elevator dings open. The cat is already waiting right at the door as it opens. Asami is pleased to see the little cat waiting, as he steps out of the elevator with Kirishima.

Akihito sits up and slips in-between Asami’s feet as he gets out of the elevator. His long fluffy tail is raised and playful. It brushes lightly against Asami legs, and he looks up and meows at the older man just as he had done with Sakura.

Flirting, as she had called it. But this time, he really means it.

Asami scoops him up, “Hello Akihito,” He says as he walks him into his office, he kisses him square on his little pink nose.

And this time, there was definitely no blocking.

* * *

The no kissing cat. 😽 I forgot to post this originally so adding it now because its so funny and cute


	62. Chapter 62

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay back at it again! This chapter a bit longer than usual! 
> 
> I've been dying to write it tho 😻

When Asami awoke the next morning, the world was entirely bizarre.

He was no longer a human as he remembered he was. Instead, he woke up and discovered he was a large black panther, with keen golden eyes.

 _Hmm… How strange._ He thinks. But to be honest, he didn’t think much of it at all, really.

These things happen, y’know…

One day you’re a male human, and the next, your large predatory cat with a shiny black coat.

All that really mattered to him when he woke up in the apartment was that the little cream-colored cat was curled up and cuddling right in the curve of his body. Akihito looked so tiny next to his big panther form. The cat seemed so blissful sleeping there that Asami leaned down and lightly nudged him awake with his snout.

Akihito’s rubs his face with his paws and yawns. His tiny white fangs showed as he yawned, and he makes a tiny little squeaking sound. Then he lazily stretched himself, and his drowsy little eyes slowly peek open.

Akihito didn’t seem at all shocked to see that Asami was apparently a panther. No. In fact, he looked all but nonplussed by the situation. He pops up from his seat and immediately tries to climb the taller cat.

He bats his tiny paws around the older man's face, he whacks his nose playfully. His eyes are keen looking, and he rolls around in front of Asami, exposing the soft side of his belly. A gesture of complete trust, but also of playfulness.

He bats his brazen paws around some more in front of Asami lightly whacks the much larger cat's face and nose. Asami decides to joins in on the fun and leans in and pretends to bite him, and he nuzzles his nose into the cat. Akihito retaliates by hooking his arms around one of Asami’s paws and ardently bunny kicks it.

After a while of this back and forth playing, Akihito hops up. He makes as if he’s about to run-away, with a little fake-out jolt. He does these little fake-out movements twice before he actually decides to bolt away.

He jumps down from the bed and out of the bedroom in a swift movement. Asami’s hot on his heels, though. The much larger cat pounces down from the bed and chases after the little cat.

Were they chasing each other? Were they playing tag? Or hide-and-go seek? It didn’t really matter. All that matter was they were chasing after one another and running around crazily around the apartment.

Asami’s impressed by his speed. There's something so exhilarating about chasing Akihito that Asami can’t help, but get provoked into the chase. Perhaps it’s a bit of a competitive streak in him. The need to win. At whatever the cost.

Akihito knocks over a potted plant in their chasing. And Asami tips over a dining room chair, and he’s pretty sure he’s broken it. The tiny cat is surprisingly speedy and agile. The kitten has so much energy, and he’s quick on his feet. He zaps away to some other part of the apartment and then back again.

Soon their paws get into the dirt of the plotted plant, and their dirty paw prints are all around the apartment. They dirty the furniture and the carpet. It seems like they tore some of the upholstery on the couch. And a pillow is torn up in their little game.

When they catch each other, they do a little rough-housing and rolling around. They growl at each other and brandish their fangs, and play fight. But they’ve made a complete mess of the apartment.

In the middle of their fun, Asami hears Akihito’s stomach growling. And he realizes he’s feeling a bit hungry too. He’s not sure when they last ate.

When suddenly, he hears the front door opening. Akihito jumps up and quickly darts to the front door, as he always does when a guest arrives. Asami’s slow to follow behind to see who it is.

When he gets to the hallway, Akihito’s already receiving some attention from Kirishima. Akihito’s meowing and meowing, so Kirishima scoops him up and lightly pets him. The cat is clearly very hungry and is loudly complaining to the secretary. 

Kirishima sees Asami slowly but gracefully making his way over to them. The secretary is not in the least bit surprised that his boss is suddenly a panther. But that mans seen a thing or two…

“I’d thought you’d be hungry, so we brought up some food.” He says, and Suoh appears behind him.

The large blond man is carrying a huge tray of meat! Raw meat! Chicken, and some cuts of steak. He walks past all of them towards the kitchen. He is just as unfazed by the black panther as everyone else seems to be. Akihito meows some more and struggles in Kirishima’s arms, wanting to get let down so he can follow the food.

Kirishima drops down so Akihito can dart off to the kitchen with Suoh. The secretary stays back. He doesn’t comment at the mess that awaits them in the apartment. The dirt is everywhere, the toppled piece of furniture, and the remains of a pillow. He gives a look as if he’s very used to it.

Suoh returns from the kitchen, and he gives Asami a nod, and the two leave. Asami joins Akihito in the kitchen. The little cat did not wait for Asami before he started snarfing down on a chicken drumstick. He must have been very hungry.

Asami gets a nice portion of steak, and he's satisfied with that. The little cat ate almost everything else, where he was able to fit it all in his tiny body Asami did not know. But once he was finished eating, he must have been feeling very sleepy. He lay down on his favorite spot by the window where the sun came in and took a nap.

Asami sat with him for a while. He cuddled up to the cat and napped a bit himself. But eventually, he got up and decided to let Akihito sleep some more. He lounges on the floor in the living room. He’ll wait for Akihito to re-join him, as he knows he will whenever he wakes up.

Eventually, Asami hears the cat slowly but carefully re-enter the living room. Asami pretends he doesn’t hear anything. He just lays down majestically on the carpet. He pretends to be preoccupied with cleaning his fur, while Akihito sneaks in behind him. The cat is almost soundless, and Asami’s a bit impressed by his maneuvers. Akihito climbs up the couch nearby.

Then the cat suddenly pounces right on top of him, from his position on the high ground. He lands on Asami's lower back and bites him with his tiny little fangs, catching his prize.

Asami roars. He feigns pain, shock, and horror. 

He pretends as if Akihito caught him off guard. As if his little attack and his tiny little fangs had seriously hurt him. Of course, he hardly felt anything. But he liked to encourage Akihito’s hunting abilities. Egging him on, so it boosts his confidence.

Asami rolls over dramatically and plays dead as if to say, “you’ve slain me, oh great beast.”

“Meow, Meow,” Akihito delights over his victory with a chorus of happy meows.

He jumps up and down and climbs on Asami's side. His tail flaps about, and he turns over to lay on his back against Asami. His little paws curl up, and he bats Asami’s nose again when the panther turns to look at the cat. Asami pretends to bite him and their back to their playfully batting at each other again.

Asami wants to practice his growling with Akihito. Asami begins. His roar is commanding and effortless. It's deep and reverberating. It starts like a snarl and then turns more high pitch: “rrrrAAWWWWR,”

Then Akihito goes. He’s got the confidence of a big cat as he does his best impression. Arching his back and putting on a very determined face. He brandishes his tiny white fangs and- “MEoowwww” He sounds like a squeaky toy, but- he’s got spirit.

They go back and forth at each other, testing out their voices. Seeing who could be louder and have the longer roars. It was kinda as if it was a little conversation or a competition.

When Asami obviously won, Akihito pounced on top of him and bit his ear. But Asami puts a stop to their roughhousing by pushing the cat down in front of him, and he starts to lick him clean.

They had played. They had eaten. They had napped. They had even practiced their hunting skills and roaring abilities. But now it was _bath_ time.

They clean each other.

Asami’s panther tongue was quite big, so he could lick the cat clean in a few strokes. He started on Akihito’s back, working in upward strokes. Akihito’s hair was, unfortunately, getting slicked back in the opposite direction. It was probably slightly annoying to the little cat, to have his coat get ruffled. But he didn’t make any indication of his annoyance.

Instead, he was busy licking Asami paw clean. His tiny cat tongue made it a little hard to do so since there was a lot of ground to cover. But he worked very hard on his task. Asami abruptly turns him around with his paw so he could start working on cleaning his belly.

Akihito was enjoying his cleaning. He curled his paws up and let Asami work away while he lay on his back. He closes his eyes for a bit and purrs as Asami cleans him.

But eventually, it becomes too much. He gets a bit to wet, or he remembers that his fur is getting all tangled up. He squirms away and moves to a sitting position so he can return to work on Asami.

He licks Asami’s face. He was very diligent, licking Asami’s face and cat ears. It was still a bit hard for Akihito. His tiny cat tongue was probably more suited to clean the face, its a bit more delicate. So that you wouldn't get slobber all of the others face- which is what Asami did when he licked Akihito’s face clean.

Asami takes a break while Akihito licks his face. He lays his head down gently so the cat can lay down while he works and has easier access. Even Asami begins to gentle purr at the sweet care he’s receiving.

He enjoys his little cleaning session for a bit longer before the older man takes notice of the sky darkening.

It’s almost sundown.

And without another word, Asami stands up, and he gently bites down on Akihito’s neck. He plucks up the little cat by the scruff of his neck. Akihito hardly weighs anything, so it’s very easy for the big panther.

Akihito meows rather pathetically. When being held by the scruff of his neck, he can’t much protest, and his paws and body just slacken. He meows again flatly, when he sees Asami is taking him straight into the bedroom. 

The panther pounces right up on the bed, with the little cream cat still in his clutches. He doesn’t drop the little cat down right away, and Akihito meows again flatly, his little voice taking a troubled note.

Asami keeps his eyes on the window, and just at the last bit of sundown- he deposits the cat down on the mattress.

And poof! A little cat boy stares angrily back at Asami. He was probably a bit miffed that he got carried by the scruff of his neck. He’s laying down on his side, his hands in front of him- almost protectively. He meows in annoyance, his cheeks puff, and his ears are turned down.

Akihito brings up a hand with the intention to whack Asami or push him away. But, Asami catches his wrist before the blow even lands. He pushes his wrist above his head and pins it against the mattress.

Before Akihito has a chance to react, Asami captures the others lips in an insistent and hungry kiss. He repositions Akihito so that he’s no longer on his side and then he releases him from the kiss.

Now the boy seems utterly mortified, and he squirms and meows more aggressively. He tries to whack Asami again with his other hand, but that is quickly seized and pushed up above his head with the other. Now Asami has both his wrist caged above him and he wiggles and writhes to escape. 

He leans down and locks there lips together once more. The older man's kiss is more tender this time, and he sweeps his tongue inside the other. Akihito struggles against him, as persistent as he always seems to be. It continues for a time, until he completely melts into the kiss and his body relax’s and he’s no longer fussing.

Asami releases the cage gripped around both Akihito's wrist. Akihito wraps his long arms around the other neck, and he kisses back just as ardently.

Once Asami’s hands are free, he grips the boy's legs up so they can straddle him on either side. His kisses trail downward, on his jawline, then on his neck and down to his bare chest.

Akihito’s human skin is as creamy as his fur, and impossibly silky and smooth. With every kiss Asami trails down, he leaves an angry red mark, on supple skin and Akihito whines. Asami can't help but mark the boy as his. He trials down lower to pink nipples, and he really bites on to those until they're nice and perky. He lapses his tongue around one of them harshly and bites them again until they’re swollen.

“Good boy,” He praises Akihito as he twists the nipple cruel around in his fingers. Akihito meows desperately and his hands grip into the older man's shoulder. His sharp nails dig into the other man's shoulder, but Asami is used to his scratching by now.

Asami sits up, his golden eyes seem to gleam as he looks down at his work. He pushes a milky thigh upward and takes an eye full of the boys leaking cock, but he doesn’t stop there.

He stretches his legs even further until he see’s Akihito’s pink puckered hole. It’s already slicked up and wet, ready to be entered.

He looks up momentarily at Akihito who’s eyes are big and worried looking.

“H-hurry Asami,” He says desperately, and he bites down on his bottom lip.

Asami can’t help but smirk at his remark, but he also moves to do as he’s told and as quickly as he's told. His panther tail lapses around as he straightens himself up and lines his cock up. He takes both sides of Akihito’s waist, ready to sink himself into the boy.

And just as he’s about to enter his vision starts to blur, and he hears a voice outside of himself.

“Aaasssammi!!!” He hears Akihito’s voice crying and he feels himself getting scratched. His eyes jolt open as he awakes from his dream. He immediately feels a weight on his chest and hands around his neck. “Asami! Asami!” Akihito continues sounding desperate.

“Huh?” Asami says disoriented after just waking up. The bedroom is pitch black and it’s clearly still night time. Akihito desperately squirming on top of him, accidentally scratching him in his fever. He’s trying to hold on to Asami, but he’s to unsettled and clearly distressed to stop moving. “Akihito? W-Whats wrong,” Asami says and holds Akihito.

He’s no longer a panther. Just his regular crimelord self. What an _interesting_ little dream he had? But his concern is now on Akihito who he notices is not just squirming around but his whole body is trembling.

Asami scoops Akihito up and he strokes the boys face trying to calm his down.

“What is it, Akihito what happen?” He questions.

Akihito hooks his thin arms around Asami’s neck and nuzzles desperately into the mans chest. His eyes are wet with tears, and his ears are turned down.

“I-I had a - I-I had a bad dream!!” He cries and he continues to tremble.

“Oh?”

“It was HORRIBLE, Asami! Just AWFUL.” He continues and his grip around Asami’s neck tightens in his distress.

“Oh…It wasn’t _that_ horrible?” Asami's mind was still on the dream and he can’t help but feel a little dejected to hear Akihito saying it was awful.

“It WAS! It was sooo ssscaarry, Asami!!”

“Oh, kitten. You know it’s a completely normal thing to do between two consenting adults that care abo-” Asami starts but he’s interpreted by a still very unsettled Akihito

“ GHOST WHERE CHASING ME, ASAMI!!” He says his frenzy reaching a point and he fusses even more.

“Oh- oh right…Of course…” Asami shakes his head, of course, he wasn’t talking about _his_ dream. He fastens the boy the around him some more, so he’s right on top of him. So that Akihito's head is resting on Asami's chest and he holds him by his lower back. Asami rubs his back and holds his hand.

“Oh kitten I am so sorry. It was just a scary dream. It's alright now, sweet boy. There, there. Shhhh- your alright now.” He strokes his cheek and wipes away his tears, “There’s no ghost here.”

“Really…” Akihito calms down a bit, and he sniffles. “then- then WHATS that POKING me!!” He tries to jolt away, but Asami is holding him in place.

Asami can’t help but chuckle lightly. “I’m sorry. It’s alright. It’s just me…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This episode is brought to u by a little known fact that lions pretend to be hurt when their cubs play hunt them- and i just thought that seemed exactly something Asami would do. 😂
> 
> When i was first planning out this story- i knew i wanted Akihito to be a tiny kitten. But i wasn't sure about Asami. Truthfully i had an idea that ended up being kinda similar to the fic King of the Beast- which i had never read before, but i basically scrapped it when i had read it. 
> 
> Asami was to be a panther that was looking after a tiny mischievous kitten, who was the young prince of a cat-people and Asami was the regent and his fiance. But i felt like there were too many similarities. I decided i'd keep Asami human and work it around that instead. This "dream" was actually one of the first scenes i had planned for the fic- where Asami and Aki are just playing like the cats they are and they make a mess of the apartment. They roar at each other and play fight, they lick each other clean. I didn't want to get rid of it so i just made it a dream instead. Its funny how much the story has changed from the "original" one. I kept a lot of the same ideas and scenes but just reworked them to fit for this instead. This one ended up being a lot more domestic and fluffy- although it will have its dramas. ❤️ Thanks for reading as always ❤️


	63. Chapter 63

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! so I think I'll be back to some regular updates, I was really swamped with other work after my computer died so I was really behind on updates. But I think all is okay now and i'll be able to be back to some semi-regular updates.
> 
> Just wanted to share some things that are upcoming that i am very excited about;   
> -you can expect 2nd heat episode this week 😉...(i hope) 😅🤞.  
> -Halloween special episodes: for both Cat in the House 🎃 and also for Something Wicked 👻
> 
> This chapter was influenced by a comment/suggestion I received a while back ago and wanted to shout out to this person for the cute idea, Thank you Hiraeth_Endyb ❤️
> 
> enjoy💕💕

Asami had an important meeting at 2 o’clock. He had been preparing for it with Kirishima all week long.

It was the kind of meeting that only happened once or twice every year. With all the heads of the Yakuza clans. All of Asami own lieutenants. Almost everyone involved in Japan's underworld was invited.

It was something organized so that all of them would play nice with each other. To keep their collective business under wraps from the outside world. It increased cooperation and profits. A super-secret meeting, as secret as ‘secret meetings,’ go.

It was to take place in a conference room in Sion.

Akihito was meant to stay in the office with Suoh, while the meeting was going down. He’d eventually be taken back home before he transformed, but that would be later in the day.

Everything was in such a buzz at Sion in the half-hour before the meeting. Everyone arriving needed to be brought up the special back elevator in the garage and lead to the floor where the meeting would take place. There’d be a small reception before the meeting began while everyone waited for all of the guests to arrive. Since they had to arrive one by one for security protocols.

Asami was to stay in his office until the meeting would start, then he’d head down and begin the meeting.

"...And remember that Tanaka's wife is coming in her husband's stead. You have that important deal partnership with her and Saeli that you could mention.." Kirishima reminded. It was his job to remind Asami of the little details, things that would be important overall. 

"Yes. Yes I recall." Asami answers. "Have you seen Akihito anywhere?" 

Asami had lost track of where Akihito had gone off to. But it wasn't that unusual, sometimes the cat was hard to find on a moment's notice.

"Ugh. No." Kirishima looks around the office, as he hands Asami yet another folder of paperwork.

Kirishima was hoping he wouldn't have to go searching for the cat. One time he had tried looking for the missing cat and was becoming increasingly worried about it. He feared that Akihito had somehow escaped and was running around Sion somewhere. Only to find him fast asleep in Kirishima's own desk drawer after 30 minutes later of panic-fueled worry.

Or another time when Akihito had reappeared after going out of sight for a while, he was covered in dust and they really wondered where he had gone off to.

It was likely he was just taking a nap in some odd positions, as he often did. Two o’clock was right about nap time for the kitten anyway so that seemed like a reasonable answer.

"I'll have Suoh look for him," Kirishima replied after a moment. He knew his boss usually liked to say goodbye to the kitten when he left the office. The secretary was starting to worry that the three of them were starting to dote on Akihito to much, and where spoiling him rotten with such attention.

Asami was satisfied with that answer and got up to head to the meeting with his briefcase and report files in hand. They'd leave Suoh to look for the cat on his own. They took the elevator down a few floors, and when they arrived everyone was sitting in their respective place in the conference room.

Asami made his entrance and sat at the head of the table as he always did, Kirishima flanking him behind.

The meeting began as usual, with a small presentation of figures, charts, and data collecting. About ten minutes in, Asami takes out his Dunhills and it gets lite by Kirishima next to him. They’re in the middle of showing and explaining the projected numbers for the incoming fiscal year.

When suddenly the smallest little noise reaches Asami’s ears… a squeak.

Asami recognizes the squeak like nothing else and he stiffens.

_Uh..oh.._

Nobody else seems to have heard the noise. Everyone's attention is on the opposite side of the room, where the projection slide and the presentation was.

For a moment Asami convinces himself that it’s not possible, that all he heard was just a chair squeaking. And he can't possibly think every little squeak noise could potentially be Akihito, whos certainly not here and is upstairs likely taking a nap under the couch in his office.

But that hope quickly washes away as another tiny squeak reaches his ears, and now Asami’s sure of it. He groans internally. Although he doesn’t let his facial features suggest anything.

Again no one seems to notice it. Asami subtle looks around trying to tactfully find the source of the noise, without arousing anyone's suspicions. He looks down at his briefcase thats on the floor beside his feet, realizing its the source of the noise.

That must be where the little _stowaway_ was hiding.

The briefcase had been left lying around in his office and Akihito must have crawled into it and taken his afternoon nap. Asami himself hadn’t even noticed the extra weight he was touting when he walked into the conference room carrying the bag. He must have put it down as simply an extra load of paperwork he was carrying.

He’s about to turn to Kirishima and discreetly signal him to take the bag away. But before he has the chance to, Akihito completely gives himself away with a small chorus of squeaks, meows, and whining noises that grow in volume.

And this time it goes noticed by a few of the participants, as the last of the meows comes up during a pause in the presentation. A few people look around, wondering what it was they were hearing.

Kirishima winces when he realizes what has happened, but again before he can snatch the bag away before anything more becomes of it. The meowing and whining noises returns. Now more louder and annoyed sounding.

Akihito had woken up from his nap in the briefcase but was now angrily meowing at not only being woken up but being trapped inside a briefcase. He bats his paws around trying to find an opening and everyone in the room hears his angry and lively sounding meows.

Asami is resisting the urge to laugh out loud. Kirishima’s ready to break out in a cold sweat. And the rest of the participants in the room are either dead silent or murmuring amongst themselves about the sound.

The meows increase in volume as Akihito gets more and more irritated at being stuck inside, so much so that the bag even jolts to life and falls on the ground seemingly on its own.

“Ah. I think I found the source of the noise.” Asami says to the group, a grin builds on his lips. It’s obvious he can no longer deal with this discreetly since Akihito has already made such a fuss.

He picks up his suitcase off the ground and places it in his lap while he unbuckles the outer flap. Akihito immediately bops his head out of the bag and attempt to climb out, all while meowing angrily some more just to get it all out.

“I apologize for the disruption. It looks like I came with a little stowaway in my bag.” He says in amusement, making light of the situation. He scoops Akihito up and places him on his lap. “Please, let’s continue.” Asami motions for the discussions to continue, and he pats Akihito’s head to quell him. 

There’s an awkward pause, some of the men chuckle others are shocked. It was undeniably a strange moment. A man of Asami stature having a kitten wildly appear, in his own briefcase while at a meeting. But then for him to just place the creature right on his lap as if it were the most natural thing.

But he did it anyway. No explanation given.

Asami didn’t even lose in an inch of his intimidation factor by having the small cat sit in his lap. In fact, it made him look almost even more intimidating while he smoked a cigarette and stroked the fluffy cat. It was all very ‘Godfather’-esque.

Akihito stayed very well behaved for the rest of the meeting. He had likely realized that he was in some trouble for sleeping in Asami’s briefcase and for causing a scene. Or maybe he was just sitting quietly because he liked the attention he was getting while he sat on Asami lap.

Asami was a little worried to have Akihito there, in case something _distasteful_ came up and Akihito heard. But they were mostly discussing numbers for now, so it was fine for him to be here. He would pass Akihito to Kirishima if the conversation shifted in a way he didn’t like.

While the presentation continued, Asami wondered if any of the men in this room would later criticize him or attack him for having Akihito present. He wouldn’t mind breaking some thumbs over such an insult...


	64. Chapter 64

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 😊💕

“Fei Long?”

“Yes. Have you heard of him?” Kirishima asked his boss.

Asami had thought the name had rung a bell. But, admittedly he hadn’t heard much about the mysterious man.

“He’s some kind of upstart in Hong Kong, yes?”

Kirishima nodded in response. “Our sources haven’t heard much. They say he’s…- competent. Rebuilding the Baishe…Rumor is he has some kind of connection with the old Liu Clan, a bastard child, or something like that.”

Details about Fei Long where few and far between. Asami read a very thin file about him a few years ago after the old man and head of the Liu passed away, then shortly after the eldest son also died. There weren’t many details about the mysterious Fei Long back then, just that he seemed to have gone underground after that, and left the Baishe in chaos. And only a few years ago he resurfaced and had rebuilt and rebranded the Baishe as well.

The Baishe was no longer considered a typical Mafia clan anymore. A bunch of rabble-rousers, a melting pot of many different types of people, it had lost the old prestige of the original Liu clan. They stole mostly from other clans. And they had reckoned themselves to be “freedom-fighters”.

The only thing that was known exactly was that Fei Long had earned himself a reputation in Hong Kong. He rebuilt much of the Baishe, although it was somehow run entirely different than how the Old Liu clan had run it.

Despite outward appearances, the new Baishe was well funded. Well organized and their activities were well hidden. Which meant you couldn’t underestimate them. They were an up-and-coming syndicate- but only depending on who you were asking.

Which is why it seemed extremely out of the ordinary that Fei Long would make contact. Asami's interest was perked. Perhaps this was an opportunity to form a new trade route in Hong Kong. Which admittedly was exactly what he had wanted to created way back then before Fei Long's father died. Back then Asami knew people, who knew people, who could have potential arranged for a meeting with the Old Man Liu. But it was too late, and the organization completely crumpled.

It was possible that Fei Long back in those days had been aware of the potential talks between Sion and Baishe. And was interested in resurrecting those talks, but why now.

It wasn’t exactly that Fei Long had ‘made contact’ that was too generous. It was more like he knew people, who knew people, that knew Asami- y’know.. how it usually works in the underworld. The mysterious gang leader had made inquiries was all and was maybe in the initial stage of ‘potential’ making contact. Who knew. It’s a difficult game.

Asami would be lying if he said he wasn’t interested. A route to Hong Kong would be extremely lucrative and would open many doors for him. While the Sion name would benefit and give credibility, and stability to Fei Long’s organization.

Well, the reason why as an answer for another time.

Plus his mind was occupied with _other_ thoughts.

The full moon was approaching in a week's time.

They were planning on going to Ai’s tomorrow, for a little pre-check up before his heat.

Ai’s facility was almost completely up and running, most of the construction was complete. Although most of the high tech medical devices that Ai and Asami ordered had yet to arrive. But it was certainly one step closer to being the fully-equipped medical center Asami wanted it to be.

Now wasn’t the time to think of whatever Fei Long had up his sleeve. Kirishima was just giving Asami some last-minute reports on their way back to the apartment. News that was relatively recent, that would be bookmarked for the next day of work. And truthfully Asami didn’t care to think of it, he didn’t want to think about work at all. He wanted to go home and see his lovely Akihito, recharge and deal with it all later.

He thanks Kirishima when they pull up at the apartment. He opens the door before Kirishima can exit and open it for him, he’s too much in a hurry to go home.

“Goodnight, Kirishima.” He says as he exits and he closes the door behind him. He briskly walks up to the steps to the door and heads into the lobby, he nods at the doorman- the NEW doorman as the last one had let Akihito wonder out the door.

This time when he opens the door to the apartment, Asami hears the bells. The tiny bell on Akihito’s collar had been a source of endless amusement for Asami. Because while it normally was very subtle, but when he ran or was in a hurry the bell would jingle like crazy.

So every night when he arrived home, he’d hear the jingle jingle of the bell ringing along as Akihito dashed clumsy to the front hall to greet Asami. It was enduringly adorable. He’d run in, his hazel eyes like stars. He’d get a ruffle on the head and peck on his little lip.

Asami took him back inside the apartment, they’d have a light dinner together. Akihito would recant his day, and talk wildly. After dinner, Asami decided it was about time Akihito took a bath so that he’d be all clean for tomorrow's appointment with Ai.

Akihito ran away to his room when he heard the suggestion. But, Asami expected as much. It was okay because Asami needed some time to draw up the bath. The bathtub in Asami’s apartment was a pretty large and deep soaking bathtub. They’d both easily be able to fit.

And while the bath was being drawn, he undresses and put a bathrobe on and ventured out to collect his reluctant bath taker.

“Akihito?” Asami peeks his head into Akihito’s room. The cat was nowhere to be seen. He rolls his eyes. _He’s hiding_. “Oh, Come on now Akihito it’s just a bath, and I’ll be with you. It’ll be nice and warm and I even put bubbles in it! Just a little bath.”

He thought he’d be able to coax a whining noise from the cat so that he’d give away his position. But this time the cat stayed silent. Although as Asami stepped into the room, he is reminded that Akihito’s quite bad at hiding.

A long bushy, cream-colored tail sticks out of the slightly opened wardrobe. Hiding and go seek had never been one of his strong suits. It was funny. When he wanted to hide he always found the most obvious hiding place. And then when he didn’t mean to hide, like when he was just finding a cozy place to take a nap, he could really, really hide and it would be almost impossible to find him.

“Sweet Akihito…Don’t you want to take a bath with me? Hmm?” Asami asks as he tiptoes towards the wardrobe.

This time Akihito makes a little whining noise, and Asami shoots the doors to the wardrobe open. Akihito’s so shocked he jolts and makes a little yelp.

“There you are! Now come on!” Asami quickly scoops the kitten up and over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes.

Akihito protest, “No, MEOW. NO!” He cries angrily and his legs wiggle and kick in front of Asami and his hands pound the man's back. But Asami’s already off with his prize towards the bathroom.

“Now now, enough fussing,” Asami says with a grin, and he quickly sidesteps into the bathroom as Akihito continues to whine.

The bath is filled now, and he gently lowers Akihito down into the water. Akihito had mostly finished his little tantrum, now he just grumbles in water.

Asami soon follows him in after he takes off his bathrobe. He places himself on the opposite side of the bathtub so that he’s at Akihito’s toes.

He sits up and shuffles a bit closer to Akihito, who had been placed in the water with his boxers still on. Asami moves to remove the now soaked piece of clothing. He places both hands on either side of the elastic and looks up at Akihito.

At first, the cat boys unsure of what he’s doing or what he was asking. But after a moment he obediently raises his hips so the offending fabric could be swiftly removed.

“Good boy,” Asami artful praises, and a wolfish grin can’t help but build on his lips.

He slips the shorts down Akihito’s slender ankles and then tosses them over the side before settling back into the bathtub on the other opposite side. Akihito’s still a bit miffed so he doesn’t say anything and just sinks into the warm water a bit.

Asami picks up one of the slender ankles in front of him. He takes Akihito’s dainty foot in hand and gently begins to massage the heel and arch. He kneads his thumb around in a circular motion, soaping it up a bit so he was both cleaning his feet and giving him a message.

For a boy who refused to wear shoes, Akihito had very nice and delicate feet. Before long, Akihito is purring at the treatment he’s receiving, and leans against the back of the bath, getting comfortable. While Asami begins work on the other one.

When he’s done, he lifts the foot up and plants a little peck on the sole of his foot. Before sending it back down into the water. Asami sits up a bit and tugs and lifts Akihito closer. So that now the boy is sitting on his lap now.

Akihito leans down on him resting his head on Asami's chest, getting comfortable. He nuzzles his face into the older man’s neckline, purring, and being extra affectionate.

Asami scoffs. “Why do you always make such a fuss, when you know you always end up enjoying yourself..hmm?” He teases and he strokes a hand down his back, and he picks up one of Akihito’s willowy arms to inspect something.

One of the reasons they were going to Ai’s was actually because Akihito was having a bit of an eczema flare-up. Asami looks down at a rash that currently blighting his kitten forearm.

Kiko had mentioned in her journal that Akihito had very sensitive skin that was prone to eczema. He’d flare up’s in the winter, in particular, because of the dry air in the cold climate. Kiko had described how bad his flare-ups gotten during their first few winters in Hokkaido.

His eczema got so bad on one occasion that while in cat form she had to put a cone on him! For which she felt very guilty for since he absolutely hated it but he wouldn’t quit scratching himself. And while he was in human form she had put oven mitts on his hands to stop him from itching and scratching himself. As if he was a child with chickenpox. Although with the little claws he had for hands, there was a real worry he could hurt himself.

As bad as that sounded, however, the photographic evidence of the cream-colored cat in a cone was admittedly absolutely adorable.

Kiko had learned early that even uncomfortable fabrics could cause flare-ups, including certain kinds of fabrics or tight fighting clothes. This was actually one of the reasons Akihito hated most clothing because he knew they could literally cause him to break out in a rash.

Allergens like dust and pollen could cause flare-ups. Even certain kinds of harsh soap. Asami had learned that the hard way when he enlisted Akihito to help clean the dishes, which Akihito was happy to do. Only for them to learn the dish soap Asami was using caused a horrible breakout on his hands.

It was easy to fix with a regular moisturizing routine and some dermatologist-approved lotion. The bath he had prepared for Akihito today, had some oils in it that will be helpful in treating his most recent flare-up.

He didn’t want Akihito to stay in the hot water for long, as Ai had recommended that long soaks in the bathtub dried out his skin. So after he had soaped the boy up in his lap, and mostly himself. It was already time for Akihito to get out of the water.

Asami had him sit on a bath stool and gently washed his hair and rinsed out the shampoo and the soap. Once he was finished, Akihito insisted it was Asami's turn and that he wanted to do the same thing. So Akihito rubbed some shampoo into Asami hairs and then rinsed it out with a showerhead.

When they got out Asami wrapped a big fluffy towel around Akihito and one for himself and they patted themselves dry. Asami wrapped the towel around his waist, and then he went into one of the cabinets to get out one of the creams that were recommended for treating eczema.

This had become Asami's favorite part of their bath-time regiment. Asami enjoyed taking _special_ care to apply the lotion _personally_. Akihito’s eczema supplied Asami with ample opportunity to shamelessly put his hands all over his little kitten and lather him up with sweet-smelling cream.

He’d start on Akihito’s arms. He'd gently rub the cream in, taking special care where the rashes had formed. Akihito usually stood very dutiful while Asami worked.

Then he does Akihito’s legs, he’d prop one of them up on the side of the bathtub. He’d start rubbing the cream into his feet and the heel, and then he’d work his way up to his slender ankle to his smooth calf. Then up a milky thigh, he’d be especially teasing around the inner thigh and he’d sweep just past his round ass and around his hips.

It was around this time that Akihito would blush furiously. He’d cast his eyes down and avoid eye contact. Sometimes he’d get a bit mad about it and puff his cheeks and frown. From all the heavy petting he'd receive, sometimes Akihito would react in _other_ ways.

Then he’d get _really_ mortified.

This time Asami purposely teased a little bit too much, with the express purpose of enticing this kind of _bodily_ reaction from him.

Akihito's face went beet red and his ears shot down. He was simultaneously distressed, annoyed, and embarrassed. He shoo’d Asami’s hand away and made little whining noises in his throat.

Asami just smirked wolfishly and chuckled. 

“You're so cute…” Asami teased directly in his ear, probably only worsening the situation.

The older man would continue on as if nothing had happened, completely ignoring how Akihito tried to shoo him away. The more Akihito protested the more Asami insistently continued on ahead, lapping his hands around Akihito’s lithe hips and thighs.

Then he would turn him around and get his back, and the back of his neck. Getting right back to doing his work very seriously. Then he’d spin him around and rub the cream all over his chest, being extra sure he had a chance to lightly brush over pink nipples which would make Akihito yelp. It was the back and forth, that he knew made Akihito crazy.

As much as Asami was enjoying the last few weeks of having a convenient excuse to give Akihito a rubdown. And of course, all the opportunity to ogle at the naked boy, and endlessly tease him.

He was actually frankly concerned about his eczema.

It was hard NOT to. The boy hardly ever wore clothes and big angry red rashes on milky skin stood out considerable. And with those talons, he called fingernails. Which Asami was very familiar with the damage they could do. It only made the situation more worrisome.

And while the rashes this time around were primarily on his arms. The other time it had gotten very bad was after that silly dish soap incident and his hands were all red and flaky afterward. Kiko had described even worse breakout when he was younger, that could get all over his body.

Of course, it was a troubling thought. Akihito was a lovely boy with lovely silky smooth skin and thought of anything marring it was concerning. But it wasn’t just that- as important as that was to Asami. But actually the main point of concern was that his eczema could be a symptom of something worse, like an immune deficiency or an autoimmune disease.

Which is exactly something Kiko had started to fear. She had often referred to Akihito when he was younger as ‘a little runt’, mostly in a joking manner since he was very petite and even in his cat form he was very small.

But she had started to believe that there was potentially some truth in that. He could have easily been the smallest and weakest of its kind. Even potentially developmentally stunted, i.e her theory of Akihito being a ‘late bloomer’ made a lot of sense if he was actually the runt.

Of course, it brought to mind questions about his very existence. Are there more like him? If he was ‘the runt’ didn’t that mean there had been a whole litter of them- at the very least?

Asami didn’t know much about cat behaviors but he had read once that cat mothers occasionally r _ejected_ runts. If survival was hard and resources were scarce. Another mouth to feed - especially one that potentially needed more of those resources to be able to live would be cut off and abandoned to die. Least the whole litter die.

The animal kingdom could be harsh like that.

Was that why Akihito was found abandoned and left in a box in a park in Central Tokyo because he had been rejected by whoever his family was…

It was an extremely sad thing to think about since he was such a sweet boy. Akihito never talked about such things or made any mention of life before Kiko - although he would have been very young. It was likely he just didn’t remember anything. 

Asami had actually made some inquiries about the park Akihito had been found in. He wondered if it was possible to find something like an old CCTV video nearby. To investigate the circumstances in which Akihito had been left. But he hadn’t found anything and it was a long time ago, making answers like that even harder to track down.

Despite potential being a runt, Akihito by all appearances was a young and lively, perfectly healthy cat boy. Perhaps Kiko and Asami were of the same mind about being overly worried about Akihito.

He finally put the boy back into his boxers, and he blew dried his hair and then his own. He put some oils in his palm and rubbed it through Akihito tail and ears, and made sure those had dried. And lastly, he put some face cream on the boy, careful not to get any on his eyes.

When he was all done he kisses him on the top of his head and praises him for being a good boy.

Perhaps Kirishima was right - they were definitely spoiling Akihito rotten. But never mind, it's what he deserved it.

Then he escorts him to the master bedroom and tucks him into bed, while Asami gets into some joggers of his own and follows in next to him. He turns off the lights and snuggles in next to the cat boy.

That was a standard night for them. In bed together by 4:30 at the latest. 

“Akihito…” After a bath session was one of Asami’s favorite times since Akihito would smell so sweet and his skin would be extra silky feeling.

Akihito hummed in response and nuzzled in closer to the older man.

“We have our appointment tomorrow with Ai…” Asami sweeps a hand down his back, “you have your heat this week, y’know…”

Akihito only hums again in agreement, his arms are already linked around Asami’s neck and his eyes are closed.

“Akihito…y’know I could help you…during your heat…if you’d like…”

It wasn’t like Asami to skirt around the issue, but he really didn’t know how Akihito would react. He was asking the question because it occurred to Asami that Akihito hadn’t thought it was even possible.

Akihito perked up at the suggestion, sitting up on his elbows- complete mystification on his face.

“You don’t have to go through it alone, is all I mean. I can help…” Asami continues trying to clarify.

Akihito quickly buries himself into Asami’s neckline, shaking his head desperately no. “No, no, no.” he squeals. It happened so promptly that Asami didn’t even see if Akihito was blushing or seemed angry or offended by the suggestion.

“Darling boy… Are you afraid of something?” His actions suggested fear. But he wasn’t sure over what.

“Nooooo…I..I don’t want you… I don’t want you to see me like that.” He wailed into Asami’s neckline.

“Kitten, what do you mean? There's nothing I haven’t seen already.” He scoops Akihito’s face up to see a face filled with anxiety and uncertainty. “Darling…Your mine, remember? Every part of you.” He pecks him on the lips. “…think about it at least, Akihito?”


	65. Chapter 65

_A deformed little runt, isn’t he?_ It’s a man's voice that Akihito doesn’t recognize, that has him blinking awake.

He blinks a few times, as he’s a bit disorientated after waking up. He turns his head slightly and sees that Asami is fast asleep next to him. The man's arms are still wrapped around him.

Whatever dream he was just having completely melts away from his mind as he looks at Asami.

It must be a few hours before dawn, as Akihito is still in human form. He moves slightly, just to curling himself into the older man a bit more. Asami doesn’t stir. He’s fast asleep.

Akihito sits up on his elbow to admire the sleeping man, his head cocks a bit, taking him in. He feels fortunate to belong to such a handsome man, and he smiles sweetly to himself.

 _Asami said I could kiss him whenever I wanted._ He thinks, pleased with himself and also feeling a bit mischievous for thinking it. 

Well, he wanted to, and he was going to. So he sits up a bit more and pecks the sleeping man on his lips before curling back next to him.

He starts to think about it some more. He knew he was very lucky to have someone like Asami always by his side, one who took care of him so diligently and looked after him. Akihito certainly didn’t ever want to even think about losing Asami. It would be too much to bear.

Which is why he was confused by Asami’s questions from earlier about his heats. He didn’t like to talk about his heat, and he didn’t want to talk about it with Asami either- Not ever.

He wishes he never had to have heats. Ever since he started getting them five years ago, they’ve caused nothing but trouble.

The last time he had his heats, he did something awful to Asami. Actually, he didn’t really remember what he did. But all he knew is Asami was holding him down, and then he scratched him in.

He was so upset the next morning he thought Asami would hate him and never want to see him. Asami pretended not to be mad, which was very, very good of him.

But Akihito knew he had done something very bad, so when his next heat would come, he would lock himself in his room and not come out. Akihito pouts at the thought. He didn’t want a rerun of what happened last time. So this time, he ought to be more careful.

Why was Asami saying things like 'I could help’? Does that mean he knows about what happens…and he.. could help?

Akihito’s eyes suddenly widen, and he blushes furiously. He throws his hands up and attempts to cover his reddening face.

 _No, no, no, what silliness. Don’t let your imagination run rampant, Akihito._ He quickly reprimands himself and shakes his head.

Although, he looks up questioningly at a sleeping Asami.

_Unless..._

Akihito frowns. A kiss would make him feel better. He thinks, and his mouth turns back to a soft smile, and he reaches up and pecks Asami’s mouth a second time.

This time Asami does stir, and his eyes flicker open. He looks a little sleepy.

“hmm? Akihito… you little kiss thief.” He says playfully, and he pulls Akihito by the small of his back into a peck.


	66. Chapter 66

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 😻😻😻😻
> 
> Here is something i never imagined would be possible. so listen to this y'all. I am only a mere 35 kudos away from being on the first page of Finder no Hyouteki top kudos board. Like what? How did that happen? Your honestly telling me my funny little fic about a dummy cat boy is gonna be sitting next to all my favorite fics, from all my favorite authors? 😳😳
> 
> I'm literally everyday so stunned by the kindnes and the warm messages I receive from this fandom. So thank you so much, for loving this fic as much as I do 😢 You don't know what it means, everyday it makes me want to continue writing something. Thank you 💕💕

The next day they have a check-up with Ai.

The clinic was coming along very nicely. It was almost completely that Ai had already started to take on other clients and patients.

Ai was grateful for Asami generosity in constructing this facility. He had offered to make her a list of clientele for her, ones that would launch the clinic to instant success. He had suggested the clinic could build a reputation for being for the well to do. 

She had initially been uncomfortable with the offer, mostly because she hadn’t gotten into becoming a veterinarian for the money. She felt the animals were more important and deserved equally excellent care no matter who they belonged to.

She thought it would be better if the clinic had a reputation of an everyday neighborhood vet. She offered a pet day-care center, boarding, and training school. She worked as well with the local shelter in foster care and adaption for abandoned animals.

It was becoming a fully-fledged animal hospital and care center. She was busy working, now more than ever. Asami provided her a group of other capable veterinarians, specialists, and administrative staff. So all the work didn't have to her burden- although she made the most important decisions.

But, of course, she always made time for her more important and truthfully favorite little patient.

Asami and Akihito had their own back entrance to come and go as they pleased in privacy. As well as a few private rooms in the back that were exclusively for Akihito.

This particular check-up was a special one because it would happen when Akihito was in his human form. They’d come after hours, at 10 o’clock. The limo could drop them off right by the back door. It was all fairly straight forward and very well secured.

They had even put clothes on Akihito! Only 100% cotton for our lovely cat with sensitive skin. Because they had decided they should disguise Akihito, cover up his tail and ears just in case. However, his disguise was a little thrown together last minute.

They put him in a large coat, one of Asami’s, to cover his bushy tail. And they gave him a large black beanie hat to cover his ears. Kirishima had some pants he had been working on, where he had sewn in a hole for Akihito’s tail to go through.

It was a little rudimentary. But they didn’t have to go all out for this- he could have shown up to the clinic in his underwear if he wanted to, and no one would have been the wiser.

Asami had decided to disguise Akihito. For he had a little spontaneous surprise awaiting after the doctor's office.

“How do I look?” Akihito asked eagerly, and he lifted his arms to show the huge coat that dangled around him.

They still hadn’t left the apartment yet and were on their way out in the front hall. This was the first time Akihito had left the apartment in his human form, and he was understandably excited.

Akihito’s eyes were sparkling like crazy. He toted a sweet little smile, and his cheeks had a nice dusting of pink in them. In the oversized coat and hat, he honestly looked a little silly. Definitely a bit mismatched and unstylish next to Asami in his three-piece suit and overcoat.

But he looked so happy, so you couldn’t possibly find any fault in it.

“You look adorable, kitten!” Asami says, and he boops Akihito’s nose.Every time Asami booped Akihito’s nose, the boy would blink exaggeratedly and scrunch his face up.

“Let’s go. Let’s gooo! I don’t want to be late!” Akihito says impatiently.

Asami opens the door of the apartment for him, and Akihito buzzed out. Everything was exactly the same as when he was a cat, and he left the apartment. But for him, it seemed like it was all brand new since he was now seeing it with his human eyes.

Asami wondered why it had taken him so long to get Akihito out of the apartment in his human form. Perhaps just a bit of protectiveness. Perhaps he liked to think Akihito was a house cat. But seeing how happy it made him, Asami was already thinking up other ways he could get Akihito out of the house every so often.

Kirishima and Suoh were waiting in the hallway outside, and they reach to call for the elevator. But Akihito darts to the button first- He wants to push the button.

They go all the way down to the garage level, where the limo is already pulled up. The entire drive, Akihito stares out the window excitedly.

Asami vaguely wonders if it’s that different when he is a cat. He had started to think that maybe his eyesight changed every time he transformed.

In any case, they get to the office and park by the back entrance. Suoh and Kirishima go out first and make sure the coast is clear and the inside is secure.When they get the alright, they open the door to the limo, and both Asami and Akihito come out and go in through the doors and are quickly escorted to the back rooms.

Ai is awaiting them inside, all smiles, as she rarely gets to see Akihito in his human form. She often forgets how much he looks like some perfect little doll in human form.

“My, My, who is this tall young gentleman with you, Asami! I thought you were coming with our little Akihito, but this can’t possibly be him!” Ai joked.

Akihito face beams, “Nooo. It’s ME, Ai!! It’s really Akihito!”

“Really?! Wow! Akihito! You really get taller every time I see you. One day, you might get as tall as Suoh!” Ai continues, she walks over and hugs Akihito.

“As tall as Suoh!?” Akihito's eyes widen. He definitely wanted to be as tall as Suoh. And he leans down to give a great big hug to Ai.

“One day, maybe. I remember when you even shorter than me. But not anymore!”

Ai exchanges a look of greeting with Asami, and they shake hands. Then she turns back around to Akihito and helps him remove his oversized jacket. Kirishima and Suoh wait outside. And Ai gestures for Akihito to sit on the exam table.

She does a basic check-up examination. Checking his blood pressure and heart rate. Looks down his throat, and in his ears and eyes, as a normal doctor would. She weighs him and even does an eye exam. He takes off his shirt, and she examines his eczema.

When it’s all done, she gives them low down.

“You pass with flying covers, Aki dear! Perfectly healthy! Now, I know I don’t need to remind you that you have your heat up and coming. Now Akihito dear, I did some test the day after your last heat. When you came here, do you remember? You had to get a little shot, and Kirishima and Suoh were there to help you. Everything was fine, but I did notice you had a bit of an unexplained hormonal spike since last year. Nothing serious. But it did make me think that your levels are going up and up every year. How about we schedule something for next week just so I can check to see if they are still rising. I might have to give you something in the future that helps dampen them. But for now. There’s nothing for you to worry about!” Ai dutifully explains some of her last test results.

She had already given the run down to Asami long ago, but she wanted to make sure Akihito was abreast of all these facts as well. Akihito nods. He had been very patient and well-manner throughout the check-up. Fortunately, he didn’t need another shot, which he was pleased about.

“Now. Akihito. Do you think I could talk to you in private for a moment?”

Asami perks up. He hadn’t expected that. But the two of them look at him, and Akihito nods his head yes. So he nods and gets up to leave and closes the door behind him.

Ai moves to sit down next to Akihito. She puts her hand over Akihito’s hand, which says to Akihito that she will listen to him intently, and she has his best interest in heart.

“Is there anything you want to tell me? Or perhaps ask me, Akihito?” 

Akihito clammed up a bit but then pushed forward meekly; “Y-you told me once…that I get heats because I’m very special.”

“Yes. Thats still true.”

“I-it’s not because something is...is _wrong_ with me?”

“No. No. Nothing wrong with you, my dear. You’re very healthy, and I think you are very happy too. Yes?" 

Akihito nods ardently.

“Good!… And Asami treats you well?”

Akihito nods just as ardently.

“Haha. I’m glad. He’s very protective of you. Just like Kiko was….” She starts, and she pauses after a moment. “Akihito. You won’t pounce on him again this week, will you?… even though I am sure he won’t mind…” She adds playfully.

The joke seems to dawn on Akihito slowly. His eyes widen, and he blushes furiously. “Heyyy, what’s that suppose to mean?” He response.

“Well…I’ll tell you…”

* * *

Asami was a little surprised that Ai had taken a moment to speak with Akihito privately. He thought as he stepped out into the hallway.

Asami shoved his hands in his pocket. He found himself being curious at what was potentially being discussed in that room that he couldn’t help but lean into the doorway so that his ear was up against the door.

But he couldn’t hear anything. Kirishima was making his way down to him, so he straightened himself out. Not wanting to appear like he was listening in.

“Everything prepared?” He asks casually.

“Yes, sir. Of course.” Kirishima nods.

A few moments pass, and then the door opens—Akihito and Ai walkout. Akihito back in his oversized coat and beanie hat and a healthy blush has formed on his face.

“Let’s go!” He says cheerily, and he turns to Ai and hugs her goodbye.

“Bye. Bye, Akihito!” Ai calls and waves goodbye as they turn to leave.

“Thank you, Ai. We’ll be in contact,” Asami acknowledges Ai, and then turns to ushers Akihito down the hallway to the exit.

They get into the limo, and it drives away. It was a much more easy-breezy check-up than Asami had suspected it would be. It would definitely be worthwhile to do more of these. The risk was minimal, and the benefits were high.

Akihito had scooted up next to Asami in the back of the limo. He rests his head on Asami’s shoulder while Asami wrapped an arm around him.

“What did Ai want to talk to you about?” Asami questioned.

“Nothing!” Akihito answered back too quickly for it to be nothing. Asami could also tell he his blush had increased as well.

He was too easy to read sometimes. Asami pecks the top of his head, and he quickly changes the subject. If Akihito didn’t want to talk about it, he wouldn’t push it.

“I have something else planned…I thought we could go on a little evening stroll.”

Akihito’s head perked up, and he looked at Asami, “A walk.”

“Yes, a walk. In town.”

Akihito's eyes started sparkling again, and he smiled so wide his little fangs were showing. “In Town!” He repeated with much excitement.

“But - my dear Akihito. You must be on your best behavior.”

Akihito nodded enthusiastically, agreeing to his terms.

The limo pulls up a few blocks away from Ai’s veterinary practice. It was off the Azabu district, in a quieter but still lively part of town. It was late, and most of the shops were closed. Some people were still wandering around, but the crowds were gone.

Asami had thought it was a good idea to take a little stroll with Akihito. Not in a place that might overwhelm him. Bringing him into a crowded, busy street was probably just asking for trouble. But at least let him have a little new experience. Let him see and experience some of the city that he usually only saw from the safety of a window sill.

The doors to the limo open, and Asami expected Akihito to shoot out the door to go exploring. But actually, the cat cautious steps out. He sweeps his head around back and forth and looked at Asami to give him the alright to exit.

Once they got out on the sidewalk, Asami took him by the hand.

“Akihito, stay near, alright. Why don’t you hold my hand.”

Akihito does more than hold his hand. He hooks his whole arm around Asami's arm. And they start walking down the sidewalk. Suoh walked a few feet away, while Kirishima stayed with the car.

When they had first exited, nobody had been around. But now, as they walked, a few people were getting closer to passing them.

Akihito seemed to be hesitating, even a bit wary of them. “Th-there coming over here,” he expresses. He sounds a bit worried.

“It’s alright. Just act naturally. We’re just two people taking a casual evening stroll in town.” Asami reminds him.

As they walk past one another, Akihito's hold on Asami’s arm gets a little bit tighter as they pass them. His eyes follow them until they’re behind them. Once they have, his grip loosens, and he looks up at Asami.

“I see. We’re sneaky!” He flashes a toothy grin.

“Exactly!”

The two circle around the street a bit. They walk past restaurants and some closed shops, and more groups of people. Asami knows the area pretty well and knows they were are skirting around the areas where there is less activity.

Asami walks to cross the street, where there are no crowds around. But Akihito holds him back.

“What are you doing?!” Akihito protest.

“What do you mean? I’m crossing the street so that we can go that way.”

“You can’t! You have to wait for the green man and the zebra!” He says, there's a real concern in his voice. “Otherwise- you’d be jaywalking!” His cheeks puff in that cute way they did when he was annoyed. 

“Oh, right. Of course. You’re right. We should be extra careful when crossing the road.” So Asami headed over to the traffic signal and pushed the button. And they wait and wait, no cars even pass them. But they waited until the light turned green, and then they crossed the street together.

Akihito starts to loosen up a bit. He is eagerly looking around at all display windows and shops and all the restaurants. Their path had no real destination in mind.

As they walked, a couple came towards them that was walking their dog.

Akihito immediately stiffened up and held on to Asami tighter. His pupil dilated, and his eye narrowed suspiciously as he carefully watched the dog making its way towards them.

At first, the dog was well behaved and was following along with its owners. But then it seemed to have caught sight of Akihito, and it froze for a moment. Then it started barking wildly, and it lunges forward before being held back by its owner.

Akihito recoils back, and Asami steps up protectively. The dog continues to bark aggressively, and the owner apologizes to Akihito and Asami for its behavior. 

Asami's a little bit afraid Akihito is about to hiss at the dog or something of that nature. But he restrains himself and just grips Asami, and they scuttle away. While the dog still barks after them.

Asami laughs as they getaway. “I guess it’s true that cats and dogs don’t get along.”

Akihito laughs along, and they continue up the street. Asami tugs him along by the hand.

After they’ve walked along for a while, Asami turns to Akihito, “Are you ready to go back home.”

“Yes. My new shoes are hurting,” Akihito declares, and Asami chuckles in response.

Suoh radios Kirishima in, and the car swings around to pick them up. They get inside, and the car pulls off from the curb to head back to the apartment.

“Did you like the outdoors, Akihito?” Asami asks. Akihito had taken up a position in the back seat sitting on Asami lap, his head resting on the older man's chest.

“I did!” He nods. “Could we do it again?”

“I think we can. Yes,” Asami answers definitively. He looks down and notices Akihito is looking at him curiously. “What is it?”

Akihito suddenly yanks Asami by the tie and pulls him into a kiss. He locks their lips together, and his other hand brushes against the man's face. Asami’s is initialtaken aback by it. Usually, when Akihito initiated a kiss, it had always been a light peck.

But this was a bit more than a sweet little peck.

Asami didn't know what Ai had told Akihito. But he was starting to have a distinct feeling that the woman deserved a serious raise.


	67. Chapter 67

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 🥰🥰
> 
> Enjoy!

The days seemed to drag on and on until the night of Akihito’s heat was finally upon Asami.

He had just sent Akihito home early from Sion, just as he had the last time he had his heat. He made sure the boy was well hydrated and fed before his transformation at sun-down.

Akihito hadn’t said anything all week about it. He was keeping it close to the chest, which had partially fueled Asami's belief that he just wasn’t ready.

All this week, it felt as if it was the only thing Asami was thinking about. Meanwhile, Akihito appeared not to be thinking about it at all.

Why was Asami getting all worked up about it?

Was it because after all the waiting and waiting, and the patience and restraint Asami showed, it seemed like they were finally getting somewhere. Or at least, by all appearances, it was.

A few days earlier, Akihito had initiated that heated kiss in the limo. Or rather, what quickly turned into a full-fledged make-out session in the back seat. One that had left Akihito’s little pink lips swollen, and his eyes were glossy with want.

After that, Asami truly believed that everything was coming together the way it was meant to.

But as the days of Akihito's heat neared, Asami was losing confidence. Was _something_ was going to happen tonight or not?

Flip a coin. The odds would probably be better.

Asami knew well that Akihito was inexperienced in this department, there were probably a lot of thoughts that plagued him. Akihito probably wouldn’t want to rush into it anything. It was important for Asami to remember that in Akihito's mind, he was probably afraid of upending and redefining their whole relationship. 

While in Asami's mind, if something happened between them. Their relationship wouldn’t change much at all. Except now there’d probably be some extra _night-time_ activities. They would still be sleeping in the same bed. Akihito would still be coming to Sion every day. Asami would still be diligently caring for his favorite little kitten as he always did. 

But for once, Asami found he was actually beginning to worry about it all. It seemed so ridiculous. Normally he never showed any lack of confidence. It was so unlike him.

Why hadn’t he gone in there and be straight with Akihito? Be as frank as he always was. He was a negotiator, after all. In fact, it would probably be very easy to convince naive little Akihito, that this was this would be for the best?

But somehow, the thought of coaxing something out of Akihito was not what Asami wanted.

He wanted Akihito to _want_ him. The boy didn’t have to scream it from the rooftops.

He sighed, and he sat in his office. He couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed that another heat was going by, and he would be sidelined once again.

But he was still hopeful, one day Akihito would be ready. He didn’t want to rush him. Akihito was still _his,_ and nothing would change that. He reasons with himself.

Asami stays at the office as the sun goes down and even a bit later. But he soon finds he’s actually in no mood to be working right now. Even if Akihito wasn’t ready to mate with him, Asami can’t help but worry about the boy. 

He wants to go home and see his kitten, right now. 

So he leaves the office. Fortunately, Kirishima had already prepared for this result and had already made arrangements to changed his schedule. 

It was still relatively early when the limo pulled up to the apartment, about 9 o’clock. Asami goes up the elevator and opens the door to the apartment. He tries to do it quietly as a part of him doesn’t want Akihito to know that he’s returned. Just as last time, there’s an eerie silence in the apartment.

He tiptoes around the apartment, debating if he should just check if Akihito’s in his room. He takes off his suit jacket, tie and cufflinks. He puts them in the usual place in the front hall, to be collected and put away later. Then he unbuttons a few buttons and loosens up a bit in his own home.

Asami pauses in the hallway, down where Akihito’s room is, and he has some misgivings about snooping too much. But in the end, his curiosity gets the better of him, and he quietly maneuvers to Akihito’s door.

He puts his ear to the door, checking if he can hear anything. But just as last time, he doesn’t hear anything. Then the moment comes where he would normally place his hand on the door handle and check if it was lock or not, but he wavers. Something about the way Akihito acted all week, had told Asami that Akihito didn't like it when he probed him to much about his heat. So he makes a conscious decision that he shouldn't poke around so much. What if Akihito heard him trying at the door? 

Plus, a part of him knew it would be locked anyway. So he puts his hand down and turns to go back to the main room. He’s in need of a stiff drink.

As Asami heads back to the main room, he goes straight for his whiskey collection. He pours himself a tumbler and downs it in quick order. Then the pacing begins and he dottles around the room. He walks back and forth, he pours himself another drink. He briefly pretends to looks at the newspaper and skims the headlines. But there’s no use in pretending. He’s a mixture of many different emotions; Worry, guilt, and a bit of regret.

He slowly sips on his whiskey. A part of him is thinking, or maybe hoping they’ll have a repeat of what happened last time. Akihito might pounce on him again, as he had last time, but this time Asami would let him do whatever he wanted.

He finishes up his drinks and clunks the glass down on the table. Then he turns around, deciding that he should go to bed.

Enough moping for one night. He thinks to himself.

He heads to the master bedroom first, doing his best to think of anything but a certain cat-boy in heat.

As soon as he opens the door to his bedroom, he's struck by a potent smell that floods his nostrils. It's an incredibly sweet smell, like honeyed wine with a hint of sandalwood. The scent is somehow a contradiction. It lingers in the air, so inescapable and sharp. And yet, also simultaneously soothing and soft.

It overwhelms him, like nothing else. The alluring smell clouds his senses and draws him into the room.

Asami’s eye’s finally landed on the source of the intoxicating scent. The sad-looking lump currently curled up on his mattress.He had wrapped himself up in a particularly fluffy duvet, and his back is to Asami.

Cats in heat are usually very talkative, and Akihito was no exception; “Meow. Meow. Meow.” He calls softly, it's hard for him to form words in his state.

Asami hears his miserable sounding whining meows, and then more little squeaks and mewls originating from under the blanket.

The poor boy had been here the whole time. Waiting for Asami...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me about the next chapter; 🤩🤩🤩


	68. Chapter 68

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so i tried really really hard to get this to you guys earlier because I know I left it on an evil cliff hanger (THE FIRST OF MANY I MIGHT ADD 🥴) but you know life has to come and bang you across the head. 
> 
> the short version is over the weekend we had a small scare that my sister had bed bugs. and only this morning when the exterminator came for an inspection where they like nah it was probably a spider 😭😭😭 can u imagine. we were in a panic getting rid of things and we moved into a hotel (mini-staycation) and it turns out to probably be a spider!! i mean I am happy its not bed bugs cause that would have been an ordeal. but damn.
> 
> anyway i just felt like complaining. I also stubbed my toe 🤬 really bad while moving furniture 🥺🥺
> 
> BUT this episode is extra long so I hope it makes up for it 😻

There was something about how the full moon lite up the room and shinned against Akihito’s pale milky skin that had an almost supernatural quality to it.

Akihito never looked more _irresistible_ than he did now.

He had turned his head only slightly from his bundle of blankets he was wrapped in. The boy's blond head only peaking out to face the intruder. 

For one, Akihito admittedly looks a little out of sorts. He didn’t look like he was acting like his usual self either. There was no denying that- he was curled up in an oversized duvet as if he was some kind of cat burrito.

There's something almost tragic about how he looks. His eyes look dewy-eyed, gloomy, and sad looking. Perhaps it was bits of tears that welled in his eyes that gave them a slight twinkle.

Flushed scarlet red cheeks beam and glisten on his face. His plump and wet looking pink lip are parted invitingly. A small patch of his bare shoulder exposes itself as he turns around, and perfectly supple and creamy skin is peeking out from under the covers.

Akihito had always been an enchanting boy. But tonight, with the full moon hitting him just right and that sweet overwhelming smell of his heat, was utterly _mouthwatering_.

The older man is hardly surprised when he feels a sharp tingle right in his nether regions. His pants tighten, and he knows he's in trouble.

Akihito calls to him again once he sees Asami by the doorway, “Meeooww..” He says softly and anguished.

“Akihito…”

Asami brimming with the burning need to _fix_ whatever it was that ailed the poor boy. His feet seem to move on their own towards him until he finds himself right next to the boy. His hands curling around the bundle of blankets. He scoops him while the backside of his other hand gently sweeps across his flushed face.

Golden eyes are heated but inquisitive as he looks into the boy's eyes. Checking to see if he alright. Is he’s hurt? Is he in pain? He would do absolutely _anything_ to make it all better?

“Kitten, Kitten, are you alright?”

More whining noises escape the cat's throat, his ears are turned down, and he bites down on his lower lip. He lays on his side, with only his head tilted towards Asami.

“I-It h-hhurrts, Ahh-sami. I-It hhurrts.” He manages to stumble out, and his eyes close tight, and Asami finally sees his trembling form.

“It hurts?” Asami questions. 

Asami fumbles with the blankets, trying to push them away to reveal the nude boy underneath. He finds the right opening quickly, and he peels it away from him.

The blond shivers when the warmth of his blanket is cut away and his bare skin is exposed to the open air. His skin tingles, and a burning feeling is overwhelming him.

Asami's eyes follow down from his face as he pulls the covers away. Taking in every inch of the beautiful boy in front of him. Down to his creamy chest, where his two rosebud-like nipples are perked and swollen looking.

Then his eyes drift lower to the softness of his belly and his lithe hips. And finally, standing proud is a pink little cock painfully erect. It twitches and leaks with pre-cum. The throbbing member is tender and almost red, brimming with the need to release a yearning tension.

“Oh! Poor, poor boy…” He says when he sees the dripping member.

Asami notices part of his lower abdomen is splashed with droplets of white cum, and the blanket is already stained with it. The poor boy had evidently made himself cum already, but it hadn’t been enough to alleviate him.

The boy goes even redder as he feels Asami's heated gaze on him. He doesn’t want Asami to see him looking so pathetic and _disgusting_...

He never knew what to do with his body in this state. Right after he had transformed, he had come to Asami bed because it was amazingly soothing to be near the man's scent.

His heat was making him positively delirious. His head foggy and unable to think clearly, he’d likely forget most of the details the following morning. His body felt like it was burning. Like his skin and his insides were on fire. And yet, he found the only way to soothe himself was with more heat and warmth.

Akihito's heat made him hypersensitive. Every gust of wind, every texture on his bare skin, make him shiver and would increase the aching feeling in his nether region.

Earlier, he had tried to relieve himself the only way he knew how. Although he had learned a long time ago that it didn’t altogether fix his problem. It had never been enough in the past to ease the worst of the tension.

The only way Akihito knew to relieve himself was to do an entirely embarrassing act. One that he was entirely ashamed to do. However, what choice did he had while he was in heat.

He’d find something to rub himself against. Anything would do, a pillow, a fold in a blanket. Anything to rut his cock against and increase the friction. It was a very difficult task.

Sometimes he'd get winded and find himself unable to finish, and that would only make the situation worse. Other times, he'd completely lose himself to it. He'd be so desperate to find a release. That he'd start roughly dry humping whatever it was, he had found. Until he is jetting white cum all over the place.

Afterward, he’d be _disgusted_ with himself.

The worst part was that for that all shame, it only was momentary relief for himself. Everything would come back in another wave just as quickly as it ended.

Using his hands didn't work either. Despite how overly sensitive he was, it was as if his body wouldn’t allow him to find a release on his own. He'd be left even more frustrated.

That was apparently the problem with him. An intersex, as Ai had called him. He was simultaneously experiencing a _heat_ as a female would but was also _rutting_ as a male would.

His lips tremble, as too is the rest of his body tremoring, and he can already feel his eyes fill with more tears. All he can do is make another chorus of sad meows. Asami perks his head up in attention, back to looking at sad hazel eyes.

“Shhh. It’s alright. Shhh...I’m here now…I’ll fix it,” He soothes, quietly.

Oh, how Akihito wants to believe him.

The older man leans in. His hand keeps Akihito’s head tilted to the side, and Asami props himself up on elbows while he reaches the boy's lips. His lips land on their target, and he laps their lips around. He coaxes the boy's mouth open so he can slip in his tongue. Something he had only tried out on the boy in the limo a few days prior. He relishes in the boy's sweet taste and explores his hot cavern.

Akihito moans into the kiss, and his eyes close tightly as the other invades his mouth. And soon, his own tongue is swirling around the older man’s. The _heat_ of their entanglement is exactly what he is searching for. The boy reveals in the warmth emulating from Asami's mouth and his hot tongue. 

As the kiss intensifies, Asami positions himself behind Akihito. So the boy's back is up against his broad chest. And while he has to crane his neck to continue kissing him, the position is perfect for pulling the boy's backside right up against his crotch. Asami wants him to feel the bulge in his own pants. And so, he presses the boy's hips inward, so the crack of his ass is rutting against Asami’s hard member.

He releases the kiss, to which Akihito moans at the loss of contact. Although he only has to wait a moment before his lips trail down his soft neck. He takes a hefty bite of soft flesh and sucks on it gentle enough for Akihito to rolls his head back in rapture.

Some little part of Asami’s brain, a part that was getting foggier and foggier by the moment, is screaming at him to slow down. To be gentle and careful, to savoy this.

His hands begin to linger down Akihito’s silky chest, he brushes his rough hands against perky and rosy nipples, and he squeezes down of them.

“Meooww!” Akihito whines.

“Shhhh, shhh,” Asami breathes against his neck, attempting to hush. Before his mouth closes down on the nape of Akihito's neck, kissing and sucking more gently on the boy.

He doesn’t stay preoccupied with the boy's nipples, as he has another goal in mind. Akihito’s poor leaking cock needs some affection, but he’s afraid he might startle the boy. So he eases into it.

The older man sweeps his hand down teasingly and then takes it back. Letting the cat know what his intentions are before carefully and slowly wrapping his digits around the member.

“Ah-uh,” The cat moans lightly as it's picked up.

Asami gently circles his thumb around the tip and squeezes the little pink cock lightly. He’s not expecting it because he’s only just started to touch the boy, but suddenly the boy's muscles clench up, and he cums with a yelp. The white juices paint part of Akihito's chest but mostly smear his own hand.

He was too excited. He had been brimming with anticipation, awaiting Asami’s touch. And it was too much for him handle when he finally had it. The boy came too early.

Even so, it was simply not enough for him. Just as quickly as he comes, the tide of tension and tightness in his cock returns. His little pick cock goes right back to being twitchy and needy. He still felt like he was burning up. He needed _more_. He whines desperately as Asami releases his hand from his still hard cock.

“More?” Asami asks. The wolfish grin builds on his lips as he sits up. He quickly brushes off his button-down, which he had slowing been peeling away. 

Akihito’s in such a haze his sad hazel eyes only widen, and his lips tremble some more. He nods yes, “I-it hurts still…Asami,”

He pushes Akihito's back into the mattress, and he leans over the boy. His trail soft kisses down the boy's chest. His lips engulf one of the boy's pink nipples, and he gently nibbles on it while he twists the other in his hand.

“Nhhhh-” Akihito whines. He shudders, and his body arches into the suckling he’s receiving.

His lips sink lower down the boys back until he finds himself face to face with the cutest little pink cock in-between Akihito’s thighs

He takes it in his hands again and brings it carefully to his lips. He pecks it lightly at first, reverently and sweetly. Appreciating its taste.

“Nno- what are you-“ Akihito mewls bewilderedly, and his fingers slide into Asami hair and shoulder.

Asami ignores him. He sweeps his tongue up the length of the twitching member, and then he guides the tip into his mouth. 

The boy tries to control the way his muscle contract. He tries to bite down on his lip to stop the lewd noises coming out of his mouth, but he’s hopeless in trying.

Oh, how Akihito whimpers and moans, and he can’t help the way his hips buck and his back arch into it. Asami guides his member deeper into his warm mouth and deep throats him.

Golden-eyes flicker upwards, and he watches Akihito squirming around above him. He'd been doing that the moment Asami had taken him in the mouth. Asami wants to pin the boy down on the mattress to keep the boy in place. The fact thats he's a little pre-occupied deep throating hardly dispels him. Technically he’s hands-free now, so nothing stopping him. He sweeps his hands up, holding Akihito lock in place from under the armpits. And more importantly, his hands are big enough, that his thumbs can roll around and tease Akihito perk nipples. 

However, Akihito becomes overstimulation too quickly. His hips buck, and he comes into the older man's mouth.

“AHhhh,” Akihito cries, and his fingernails dig into Asami’s shoulder.

Asami doesn’t release him right away. He sucks on the member extracting every last drop of the boy's sweet cum and swallowing it. Then he sits up and watches the boy ease down from his excursion. Despite coming hard and fast twice already, Asami realizes it hadn’t done enough to take the edge off for him. 

It’s beginning to occur to Akihito as well when he’s still twitching with anticipation. Although, the fact does nothing but confuse him and make him anxious.

Because while what Asami was doing may have undeniably made him feel damn good and perhaps even eased some of the tension he felt. It had also sapped away a lot of his energy, and it hadn’t even done enough. He needed more. But more of what, he didn’t know…

It scares him immensely in the moment, as another burning wave overwhelms him again.

He pouts. He makes whining noises from his throat, and tears start to drip from his eyes. He hated this.

His willowy arms reach for the older man. He wants to be held and comforted. And of course, Asami obliges him.

He scoops him up. “oohhh. My poor boy. My poor sweet boy. No no... It’s alright. I’ll make it better. I promise I’ll make it better.” Asami knows exactly what it is that Akihito needs. He kisses his nose and his eyes and sweeps up his tears. “I’ll do everything. You don’t have to worry.”

Once Akihito has mostly calmed down, Asami sits up on his knees and picks up one of Akihito’s legs by the thigh. He lifts the boy lithe hips slightly off the mattress and spreads his legs even further apart, gaining himself a nice view of Akihito backside.

He spreads Akihito’s legs a bit more. He’s starting to notice Akihito is far more limber and flexible than the average human male. It is most definitely his cat-side. A fact that Asami will no doubt have an endless amount of fun with in the coming days.

A little pink ring, against the milkiness and fleshiness of Akihito’s perfectly round ass. What a lovely sight. Asami thinks to himself.

He’s surprised to see the hole looks a little wet. As if his insides were already slicked up, and his suspicions are confirmed when he brushes a finger against it. It’s obviously a product of his heat.

A fact, Asami will no doubt have an endless amount of fun with in the coming days. He once again jokingly muses to himself.

A single lean finger presses against the boy's entrance and sinks itself in with ease. Akihito’s ear points upward, and his eyes widen as if he’s surprised over this turn of events. His breath hitches, and he stiffens at the intrusion like he’s not sure what to make of it. It doesn’t hurt him, yet Asami wants to ease him into this. Even if his insides feel soft and lubricated, Asami wants to make sure he’s nicely stretched and prepared before any kind of penetration.

A second finger is added in, and the stretch makes Akihito huff. “hhhn,”

Asami slowly starts to see how Akihito recognizes that this feeling is pleasure, and his muscles clench.

“So wet, Akihito. You’re so wet.” He says, as his fingers knead into him. 

Akihito can only respond with a chorus of whimpers, while a third finger is added“Uh. Uh. Uhhh!” His volume increasing with every stroke.

Akihito starts to get into it. His hips sway with every pump into him. He grinds into him, exploring and stretching him out. Searching for a little bump in his inner walls. As soon as he finds the little sweet spot, Akihito jolts at the spark of pleasure sent through him.

Asami goes for a fourth finger, and he taps and teases against that sweet spot. Again and again, until his insides clamp up, and his head rolls back.

“Owwwwhh.” A whole-body tremor rocks Akihito’s body as he comes.

This was a much different sensation than the other times. Better and more satisfying for him, as if a scratch had been itched.

“Good Boy. Good Boy.” Asami praises, slightly out of breath.

Akihito’s already trembling by the time he’s come down from his high. While it had felt amazing, something about it had made him feel incomplete. His frustration makes him ache, even stronger than before. He’s becoming hyperaware of the feeling of hollowness and dissatisfaction. 

The crime lord hands are already reaching for the remains of his pants. His belt had gotten undone at some point, and a few stray buttons had gone loose. He looks down at the poor kitten underneath him, who’s continues to spasm and wail at him.

“Aasamii,”

Asami doesn’t take his eyes off him as he shoots out from bed and quickly removes the offending item.

When he climbs back into bed, he pulls Akihito by the leg a bit closer and looms over the cat-boy. He knows he shouldn’t let the poor boy wait any longer. He realizes how uncomfortable and frustrated it must be to lose all bodily control like this.

Yet a part of him can’t help that predatory smirk growing on his lips at seeing the blond. His plush wet lips. There a glossiness to his hazel eyes as he loses himself to his heat. His neck and chest already show signs of love bits beginning to form. Cat ears cast down in frustration and his cream-colored tail underneath him looking slightly deflated. The boy looks exhausted, brought to the brink. He squirms below Asami, waiting to be made full.

As much as Asami would love to take in this moment, his own needs are also become increasingly difficult to ignore.

He quickly sweeps a leg over his shoulder and spread the boy's cheeks. He guides his own aching member and feeds him his length inch by inch.

“Haahhaa,” the cat howls with every inch.

Once Asami wholly bottomed out, he leans down lower to Akihito. “Hold on. Shh, shh.” He instructs. He leads willowy arms up around his neck to hold him.

He leans forward, kissing and nibbling on Akihito’s neck. He continues to shush him, trying to calm him. He gives Akihito a full moment to adjust to the sudden fullness before he starts to move again.

He rolls his hips forward over again and again. His thrust builds in momentum and power. He pushes Akihito’s own hips into each pound until Akihito starts following him on his own, thrust for thrust.

Asami's breath comes out in shallow pants as he pushes in and out of the boy. He drowns in dirty sounds they make—skin slapping on skin, and the wet sounding squelch.

Akihito seems only to know how to form the words “Assami!” And he wails and wails the man's names over again like a manic. His claws even start to dig into Asami's shoulder, but the slight pain isn't enough to throw Asami off from his goal.

His thrusting increases in tempo until he's all but ramming into the lithe boy with all his force. Every time Asami crashes into the boy's prostate, his interior walls clamp down on his member. It feels so silky smooth and warm inside of him, like nothing in the world. 

The thought sparks a sudden bout of possessiveness in Asami. _Mine._

“Ahh-Asami! Please, Asami! I-I’m—” The blond whines.

Pleasure begins to builds for both of them and heat pools in their stomachs until the thrusting reaches a boiling point.

“Cum, Akihito!” The older man growls out. He rolls his hips in one last time, landing perfectly on the boy's sweet spot.

Akihito’s toes curl up in pleasure, and he’s rocked with mind numbing whole body shutter. His inner walls contract tightly around the others cocks, drawing Asami’s release out.

Asami's seed gushing deep inside of him is an instant reprieve for our cat boy. 

But...the night's still young... 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg i cant believe i've written 68 chapters of this, and it's the first time they're doing the dirty. we should congratulate Asami for the real restraint. i didn't think he had it in him 🤣


	69. Halloween Special: Cat in the Castle pt.1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's a little late but i got it in before midnight 🎃👻
> 
> CHAPTER 69 🤣🤣 damn I should have saved this chapter for something else 🤣🤣

**ONCE UPON A TIME,** it was a dark and stormy night…

So stormy, in fact, that it would be dangerous to travel. The dirt roads around this little village would become all muddy. Carriages would have an awful time getting through. And that meant the King and his party of loyal men were stranded without a place to stay for a few nights while the storm brushed over.

Now, as King, he knew all the nobles in this part of his kingdom. And of course, all nobles would have to be obliged to host their King if he showed up getting caught in the rain.

But in this secluded part of his kingdom, his options were minimal. But since the King was desperate, he decided to stay at a nearby castle that belonged to an old noble family.

This noble family may have been of an old bloodline, but the family had long been broke. Their old family home up on a deserted hill had long fallen into disrepair. It was a dilapidated old castle.

Its stone walls were falling over. There were holes in the roof. Only a few sections of the house were inhabitable and somewhat restored to its old glory. But it would have to do; shelter was shelter.

The King had sent a scouting party up ahead to send word to the family that he was on his way and in need of shelter for the night. They couldn’t possibly refuse.

It would give their would-be host some time to make the necessary arrangements. Clean out some of the bedrooms. Put together the most decent meal they could muster.

It was actually considered a great honor to host a King. Usually, the nobles of this region would fight over who had the honor. To have the King stay at your house meant you might be able to gain a government post or be invited to court. It could mean a flip of your fortune if you could leave a good impression on the King.

The King and his entourage of men pulled up to a long-winded road and past a bridge to get to the castle's front door. The castle was huge and medieval in style. There was a big round tower in one of the corners, and its walls looked over a cliff.

It was beautiful in a way. At least, it must have been in the old days. But now it looked almost like a ruin, a ghost of its former self. Big lanterns lite up the courtyard where the entrance was, and a small group of servants waited by the door.

The horses were particularly uneasy as they stopped. They neighed and almost jumped. The driver had to pull back on their reigns to calm them. Something had spooked them.

The doors to the carriage opened, and the King stepped out in a cloak and was quickly escorted into the main doors.

The only thing the King knew about this place was that the castle belonged to an old family. The heads of that family were two young sons, who he had never met before.

And secondly, was that his trusted knight hadn’t wanted to stay here.

“My king, I have heard many disturbing reports about this place. Something evil is among these walls. Thats what the common folk in the village say.” The large blond knight said to him.

“Surely you don’t believe in those silly rumors,” The king's other most trusted knight said. He pinched up his glasses as he admonished his friend.

“It’s only for one night. I’m not afraid. Perhaps we can see if those rumors are true.” The raven-haired King sat back in the carriage as he spoke. Such rumors did not dissuade him. They needed a place to spend the night and rest up before heading back to the capital.

Thats what the King had said earlier. But now, as looked upon the castle and stepped into its doors, he was getting a sense of forbidding from being here. The castle did have something creepy about it.

Asami, Sir Kirishima, and Sir Suoh entered the castle. They stepped into the great hall. Large rounded archways flanked either sidewall, and a great staircase leading to the second floor was in the center. Its high ceilings were intricately carved, and its walls lined with candlelight.

They were greeted by bowing servants, waiting in a line on one side of the stairs. In the middle of those servants, at the bottom of the stairs, two young men dressed slightly better and cleaner than the others.

One was dark-haired, and the other blond-haired. They were young and boyish-looking, but very all together average looking. The blond one was the first to speak.

“My lord. Our family is happy to serve you. We are sorry to hear how the storm has delayed your travels back to the capital. Our house will likely be modest compared to what you are used to, my King, but we happy to share all we have with you.” Takato spoke honestly.

The young lad lifted his head, and the raven King nods appreciatively.

“We thank you for your hospitality. Are you Lord Takato? And your brother Lord Kou?” Asami asks of the two men. They nod.

Once the pleasantries are over with, and formal introductions are made. The King and his men are lead to their rooms. Asami has been given the house's nicest room, while his two knights are placed into rooms across the hall from him.

The fire is already made in his room, and Asami does his best to warm by the fire. His bedroom has a four-post bed carved with intricate wood. The fireplace is quite grand, even if it's a bit dusty. There is a large oak desk to the left of the fireplace and a velvety armchair by the fire.

By and large, the house is not as much as a dump as he had been lead to believe. The roof in this section is still intact. The rooms are pretty splendidly decorated, although with clearly very old things. The walls have lots of beautiful art and tapestries.

The floorboards creak a bit, but it is generally pretty nice if not a little outdated. Servants bring up his trunk, and he changes into drier clothing. He has some business of state to deal with, and the desk in his room proves to be a good place to work alongside his two trusted knights and advisers.

Sir Suoh still feels this place gives him the creeps. And the King and Sir Kirishima tease their old friend about it. It had been dark all day, and they arrived here mid-afternoon.

“I swear, Sir. Ever since we got here, I’ve felt like eyes have been on me. Even when I was in my room, it felt like someone was watching me!” Sir Suoh explains.

“Alright. It is a creepy old house. I’ll give you that. But, thats all it is.” Just as the words exit the King's mouth, they hear a floorboard creak.

There's a pause as they take in what they’ve just heard, and then they hear another creak and a pitter-patter against the floor.

“What was that!” Suoh stands alert. The three men look around the room.

Suoh is starting to get testy. He may be a big man with skills on the sword like no other. He shows absolutely no fear on the battlefield. But the large man is surprisingly squeamish about these kinds of things.

But while he is getting worked up, Asami sees the blur that is the cause of his fears. And he chuckles at his friend. He stands and walks over to the nightstand, where the creature is hiding.

He scoops it up in his arms and turns to Suoh. “Is this the source of what troubles the great knight of Sion?” The King says playfully.

He holds a fluffy and tiny cream-colored cat by its underbelly. The cat meows placidly at the group.

The cat looks to be a kitten, perhaps only a few months old. It’s a bit skinny and lanky looking. But it doesn’t struggle in Asami’s arms only turns his head around trying to look at the man.

“Meow.” He says again placidly, and bright hazel colored eyes look around the room. It’s fluffy tail laps around underneath him. He looks clean for an animal roaming around an old manor like this.

“Awww!” Suoh takes one look at him and thinks the cats adorable.

Asami repositions the cat, so its body isn’t dangling down. He scoops it up against his chest. The cat squirms a bit in his hold and sits up against his chest. He puts his paws on the King's shoulder and perches himself there, looking inquisitively off the side of his shoulder. While Asami pets him down his back.

The cat doesn’t stay there long, and he pounces off the shoulder and down on top of the king's bed. He turns around to look at the three men and then sits down on the edge of the bed.

Asami had never been too fond of animals, but this cat was so clean looking and quiet doll-faced and pretty. It must have been a pet. So he lets it sit on his bed without another word.

They go back to work, now that the mystery of the sound had been solved. The cat sits on the bed and watches them. He plops down later on and sits by the King's feet. His head cranes up, and he looks at the man, almost like he’s asking for pets but also as if he was just curiously looking at him. And after a while, it seems to get bored and scuttles out the door.

Before dinner, Asami decided to look into these rumors as it may finally put Suoh at ease. They ask one of the maids to come in to answer a few questions.

They sit her down across from the King and assure her they just want some answer.

“What's your name, miss.” Sir Kirishima asks.

“Everyone calls me Sana, my lord.” The woman speaks. She is a little nervous in front of the King.

“We have some questions about this place. Do you think you can tell us about it?” The King asks. The maid nods. “Do you know anything about the rumors floating about this place, that there's something unnatural happening here?”

The maid goes a little wide-eyed. “I guess you would have heard about that, my lord. There is definitely something fishy going on in here.” She says, shifting slightly in her seat. “But the lords. Their good people. Honest folk- really. I think they are just as much at a loss of what to do.”

“Well, what happens?” Asami presses.

“Well, sir. It started quite a long time ago. It became sort of the norm around the house these days. It’s fairly innocuous. Only when we get, new people do people start making a fuss. But… well. For many years now, the house has been plagued with something. We don’t know what. It’s not particularly bad or particularly good. People in town have these crazy ideas saying things like it’s evil. But I don’t think so-.”

“What is ‘ _it_ ’” Kirishima now presses for answers.

“Well, I don’t really know, sir. Nobody does. Whatever it is, it's something. At night you hear strange things. Some people have even seen a few strange things. Things go missing, sir. Mostly food. Our cook likes to leave things out for it, and it’ll be gone by the next morning. Some people had thought it was some kids fooling around..but it never went away or stopped. It's been almost 10 years, sir.” The maid tries to explain.

“Things go missing?” Asami asks, “Could it be a little theft?”

“Well…I guess it could be. But it's things that people wouldn’t want to steal? There are valuable things lying around. Things that belong to the lord of the house, heirlooms, you know. But nothing happens to them…but odd things go missing. Like cake pans? And wooden toys? It makes no sense. It must be some kind of ghost obviously…”

“What do people hear?”

“Just things out in the hallway late at night. Like someone scuttling along, little noises like an animal in the house. People have seen some kind of figure walking around at night and then disappearing. Over the years, people have put out traps for it. Or they'd try to trick it, but nothing ever worked? Or it wouldn’t come out. It’s got a mind of its own, really. It’s a little spooky. But I don’t know most of us have learned to live with it…it doesn’t hurt nobody, whatever it is.” Sana shrugs her shoulders as she finishes her tale.

“Do the lords do anything about it?” Suoh added.

“Well, it started when they themselves were just teenagers…They don’t talk about it a lot. I think they know they can’t do much about it, and they just let it be.”

“Very strange…” Asami slumped into his chair and rubbed his chin. It was a curious bit of rumors.

Of course, he didn’t believe in anything like ghosts, so his only thought was that perhaps it was a lot of events done by different perpetrators that were all chopped up to be this “ghost.”

They send away Sana and thank her for her help. Then they have to get ready for dinner.

The King and his men are treated to a decent feast in the dining room. The food was very quality, and so was the service. They spoke with the young lords, Kou and Takato, about the house and the town. They kept things pleasant.

Suoh even bucks up and asks about the creepy rumors about the house.

Their host gets noticeably nervous. Although the King only chops that up to the awkwardness of facing rumors that smear their reputation in front of the King, while they are trying to come across as gracious hostesses.

“Obviously, these rumors are preposterous and over-exaggerated. Some of our servants must have an overactive imagination…” Lord Kou says nervously.

“We haven’t seen or heard anything,” Takato adds firmly.

Although there is something about the way they act that tells Asami that they are hiding something.

Dinner ends at about 8 pm, and they thank their guest for the food and drink and head back upstairs. They have more work that needs to be done, so they agree to meet back in Asami rooms after a little break in their own room.

But just as soon as the three go their separate ways, Suoh comes running back to Asami's room.

“SIR! The ghost!! I saw it! It was in my room!! Sir!” Suoh is clearly a bit rilled up, but he’s loud enough to bring Kirishima back into the hallway to see what the fuss was about.

They walk over to Suoh rooms. The room is pitch black. The candles that had been in here earlier were blown out. And then walk around relighting it.

“What exactly did you see?” Asami asks.

“Well, I walked it with my candle, and there was someone definitely in my room. But obviously, I couldn’t see anything. It made some little noise. Sounded.. kind of like whining noises… and well... I was honestly so freaked out I came out to you guys. But whatever it is…it’s gone, and it definitely didn’t use the door.” The big guy slumps his shoulders. He’s a bit disappointed that maybe he was too spooked to come charging into the room to see what he could with his candle.

“hmm... But now there's nothing…Let’s look around. See if anything missing? I’ll look in my room, and Kirishima will look in his.”

They debrief and look amongst their things. Asami doesn’t notice anything gone. But when he goes back to check on the others. Kirishima and Suoh admit something is missing.

“What's missing?” He asks.

Kirishima pouts a bit. “The feather from one of my hats is missing! It was actually a nice one to, imported…”

“One of my belt buckles is missing…” Suoh sounds embarrassed.

“Such random objects… nothing from my room seems gone,” Asami admits.

“That means you must be NEXT, My king!” Suoh says hysterically. “We will man the doors tonight to make sure that doesn’t happen!!”

Asami agrees. However, a part of him can’t help but think it seems a little over the top.

They decided to go to bed early. Asami gets into his night clothing and hops into bed. He hadn’t really felt tired, but as soon as he sinks into the soft mattress, he feels the toll of all of his traveling recently, and he slips to sleep easily.

Asami was a light sleeper. It was just who he was. Constantly being under threat sometimes had made him overly cautious. So when he wakes a few hours later, he hardly notices that it was because of small mousey little noises. But then, as he becomes more conscious of it, his eyes flick open.

Someone was in his room. Whoever they were, their feet hit the ground soundlessly. The only hint of this other person is the way its breath hitches in excitement as it walks over to the desk at the end of the bed.

The room is dark, but there is enough moonlight that Asami can tell that a shadowy figure sweeps around his room. He hears it a bit more by his desk, shuffling papers aside as if looking for something.

Asami lays deathly still in his bed, looking and hearing what he can from the shadowy figure. It seems to pick up something and - sniffs it?? It makes a little noise as if disgusted or something and puts it back down and picks something else up.

Curious little mouse noises escape from his throat lime “ums and ahs.” This was no ghost. It sounded more like… like a creature. The shadow wasn’t tall or large. It appeared shorter than Asami and skinny.

Asami was bidding his time, waiting for a moment to strike and for his eyes to fully adjust to the darkness. The creature seems to find something on the desk, and it sniffs it for a long period.

Then Asami shoots out of bed and dives at the creature. His hands close upon something fleshy.

“GOT YA!” Asami yells as soon as he’s caught the thing. The creature yelps and squirms.

“NO!” He hears it say, and then something bits down on Asami arms - it bit him!

He’s caught off guard by the sting of tiny fangs biting down on him, and he loosens his grip. The creature slips away and desperately struggles to a nearby wall. It scuttles over to it in a panic.

And then in a quick half a second, there's a click-clack sound. Asami hears something that sounds like a door open. The creature slips into it in a second flat, while Asami tries to grab hold of it again. It gets away, but it’s not able to close its exit as it escapes into the wall.

The doors to his room swing open and Suoh comes barging in with a candlestick. “SIR!”

“Quick, get the lights on. It escaped through some secret hatch!” Asami commands.

Suoh quickly lights up the rest of the candles. Kirishima has heard the commotion and comes in as well.

“What happened, sir?” They ask.

“It was here. Looking through my desk. And then I grabbed it- and it bit me! And then it opened some door over here by the painting and slipped away.” Asami explained. “Let's see what's missing.”

They all look around the desk, but nothing seems out of sorts. The papers look in order.

“Your pen, sir.” Kirishima notices.

It’s the only thing missing, a fountain pen specially made. Not exactly a treasure trove of wealthy, but not cheap either.

Once they find what's missing, they look over at the secret compartment. 

They peak their head into the secret trap door and look through. The walls are hollow. It's turned into a tiny hallway or a secret passage.

“This is how it’s been traveling, sneaking in through old tunnels, and escaping before anyone sees it. This isn’t a ghost. Ghost don’t need secret passageways…” Asami announces.

“But what was it, sir,” Suoh asks.

Asami pauses before answering that, mostly because he didn’t like what it meant. “It…it doesn’t seem human. But it’s not a ghost.”

“Let me look where it bit you,” Kirishima puts forward his hands so that he can inspect it.

The wound is bleeding slightly, but it’s already stopped. It doesn’t sting, and they see little fangs in the bite mark on his arm.

“When I touched it… I touched skin. Human skin…”

“Was it scaly?” Suoh asks wide-eyed.

“No,” Asami puts that theory to bed. It hadn’t been scaly… rather soft and squishy actually. “I want to look in these passageways. If thats how it's getting around, it must have someplace it goes. I want to find it. Whatever it is. We are losing time waiting around here.”

He slides on some shoes and a proper t-shirt. Asami’s suddenly determined to find the source of these strange going on’s. “I’m going in. Give me a candle holder.” He gets up and squeezes into the narrow passageway. “Keep this open, in case I can’t find another way out.” He orders, and he walks down the narrow hallway.

At first, he explores his surroundings. The passageways are actually a complicated maze of many different hallways. He finds switches to almost every room. Which means the whole house is interconnected through these passageways.

Asami doesn’t hear anything from inside the secret passageway, so it seems for now he is alone within the maze. The hallways seem to be a good place to eavesdrop on everyone in the castle.

From within the walls, he can already hear the news travel of the “ghost” in the King's room. Perhaps this is how the creature knows when people lay traps for it.

Clever little thing isn’t. Asami thinks as he continues along long corridors. It must be fairly clever to live in such a place, hiding and sulking around. The passageway goes up and down to different floors.

There are eye peeps in old paintings and air vents that let you spy on people: bookcases that open up, secret doors and stairwells to every dark corner of the house.

Asami vaguely wonders why they were built. But anyone can see how useful, such things would be. Hell, he even ponders having things like these installed in his own castle to monitor and spy on friends and foes.

No one suspects or hears anything from the other side of the wall as he walks past maids gossiping in the hallway. Or two lovers meeting in the library. He’s actually having quite a good time exploring, that he’s more or less forgotten about his original goal. But there's no sign of anyone else in these tunnels with him.

Until he begins to hear a conversation, he wasn't meant to. Kou and Takato, the two lords, talk in hushed voices in their bedroom.

“Ugh. I knew something like this would happen. You know he can’t help himself. He’s too curious. He’s gonna get us in trouble.” Takato says to his brother, clearly annoyed about something.

“But you know he doesn’t mean it…” Kou sounds a bit dejected.

“Kou. You heard what that knight said. Things went missing from the King's room! They say he saw something. It’s only a matter of time…How can we keep something like this from the King. What if he’s taken something valuable! Then we could really be in trouble.” Takato sounds worried.

“You know he never takes anything valuable!” Kou tries to calm him. “As long as we don’t say anything. They already know about the ghost rumors… Maybe there’ll just leave it at that. They’re going tomorrow! We only have to keep this up one more day!”

“But he’s gone too far this time! We told him to stay away. And he doesn’t listen.”

Now, this was an interesting conversation. They clearly knew something. They knew about _someone…_

“Kou. Can you slip away to the tower? Tell him he’s in big trouble and to STAY in his ROOM.” Takato says, he slumps a bit. “I know you want to protect him. I do too. But this is the King we are talking about…”

Kou nods understandingly, and he’ll go soon once the house has calmed down a bit.

Asami perks up at that information… the tower.

He doubles back a bit and heads to where he had seen a flight of stairs earlier. As he looks up the path, he notices a narrow wooden step looks weathered. As if they’ve been used a lot. He climbs up himself.

The rest of the way up is mostly stairs narrow and curving. Then he hears something—someone coming the other way down the steps above him, and the King freeze in his spot. But the steps stop abruptly.

There's an awkward pause, and Asami holds his breath. Then the step scuttles back upwards in a hurry. He’s been found out. And Asami chases after it. He hears a door opening and closing shut above him. When he gets to the next floor,the path seems to end, and there's a switch. He pulls the switch, and a door opens up.

He steps out. He can tell he is in the tower. It’s a pretty large round room. There's a single large window that lights up the room. The ceiling is high and cathedral-like, with the pointed roof above them. The room is bright and airy, as the window is slightly cracked open and furniture is splayed about.

An old bed with some pillows and blankets messily draped about is in the center.

The room is lit by candlelight. There are some on the ground and others on the desk. Papers and books are all around, scattered all over the floor and desk. There are also some clothes lying around. A plate of food and glasses around.

A very much lived in kind of place. It’s not great conditions, but probably comfortable. It's not exactly clean, as it's quite messy. But it's not dirty either. There is no bird carcass lying around, or the roof isn’t falling over. As he had originally imagined, the tower would look like.

“Hello?” Asami calls into the room. He knows someone must be here. But no one seems to be around.

He starts to realize that perhaps whatever it is…is perhaps scared. He remembers Kou and Takato’s conversation about ‘him not knowing any better.’ And the way it's so far runaway makes him think it could just be absolutely terrified.

“Hello?” He tries again. “I am not here to hurt you?…” He tries. He knows the creature can talk since it yelled no when he was grabbed. And it sounded like Kou and Takato talk to it. The books all over the place suggest it might even be able to read. “I just wanna talk?”

He hears nothing, but as he walks deeper into the room, he notices something. A tall big antique-looking wardrobe thats rest on one of the walls is slightly ajar. But more than that, the door is still slightly swinging even. As if someone had just opened it recently.

As he steps carefully towards it, something is sticking out of its open doors and draping over the side of the wardrobe—a long and bushy, cream-colored tail.

Although at the time, Asami only things, it could be part of a hat or another article of clothing. 

He carefully nears the wardrobe. It's really the only place to hide properly. And he opens the doors slowly.

Angry hazel eyes greet him, “HISSSS,” the blond boy hiding in the wardrobe does his best to look intimidating. Tiny white fang bears themselves.

Asami startled, he momentarily closes the door again, and the hissing stops. But then he takes a moment to think about what he just saw. He opens the doors again to catch another glimpse through the cracks, and the hissing noises return. He closes it again.

The 2nd time he looks, he notices the ears atop the creature's head. The tail from outside moves as the boy goes deeper into the wardrobe. And Asami's eyes widen.

Definitely not human.

He cracks the door open again. More hissing, but this time he swigs the door open fully. The boy's hands go to his chest and his hissing increase in volume.

“What are you?” He asks, undeterred by the boy's attempts to be intimidating. Ears turn down, and angry hazel eyes soften and turn scared. The creature tries to dash out of the wardrobe. Its flight instincts activated.

But Asami catches him mid-jump. “Hey, Hey, Hey. No getting away this time.” Asami holds on to him this time more securely. The boy tries to squirm away. Then a voice can be heard below.

“Akihito!” It's Kou coming along like he said he would. He opens the door and sees Asami. He gasps.

His entrance takes Asami by surprise, and the boy slips away and runs to Kou. “Akihito, are you okay?” Kou asks. But the boy cowers behind him, holding on to Kou sleeve.

He makes whining noises, and he bits down on his lower lip nervously. “ugh. Y-your majesty. I-I swear I can explain.” Kou says as Asami walks to them both. “P-please don’t hurt him. H-he’s harmless, really. I-I’m sorry he stole your things. H-he doesn’t know any better. He’ll give them back, honest!” Kou defends him.

“Calm yourself, Lord Kou. I am not here to harm him. I just wanted some answers…What is he?”

Asami eyes the boy now that he’s out of the wardrobe. He’s very petite and skinny, but he has pale milky skin. Thats clear and clean. He’s only wearing some underclothing, now. And his blond hair is rather messy and spiked.

His face has delicate features. A button nose, big eyes, and long lashes. His face is flushed with a pink blush, probably over the excitement and fear.

He’s unnaturally pretty.

Kou seems to be calming down a bit, and he speaks. “He’s just a kitten, sir. I-I don’t really know what he is. My grandmother found him when he was a baby. He grew up with Takato and me. He’s our friend. We never knew what he was, h-he turns into a cat during the day. And at night he turns human… human-ish..” Kou corrects himself.

“And this is.. the ghost that everyone's been talking about..” Asami's reminded as well of the cream-colored cat in his room earlier that evening. 

“Yes. Sir. H-he’s… mischievous sir. We have a hard time telling him what to do. W-we told him to stay away from you and your party. Cause we were afraid he’d be found out…” Kou turns to look at him. And picks up the cat's dainty hands, which are shivering from being scared. “It’s okay. Akihito. T-this is King Asami. Why don’t you greet him?”

The cat is still looking suspiciously at Asami, and half of his body is still behind Kou for cover. His eyes fall to the ground. “…H-Hello.” He says quietly.

“Kou. Would you mind if I talked to him a bit…in private.”

The cat turned wide-eyed and looked to his friend for support. But Kou could not deny the King's request.

“Yes… Of course. Akihito... It’s alright. I’ll just be out here. It's okay.” He comforts the cat. The boy's ears turned down even lower. And Kou turned on his heels to leave.

“Could you tell Sir Kirishima and Sir Suoh were I am. We will keep this between us…” Asami requests as Kou turns to leave.

The doors close, and Asami can hear a sad whimper escape from the cat's mouth from being left alone. Asami ignores it. He turns himself and heads for the bed, where he takes a seat.

“Akihito.” Asami tries the name on the tip of his tongue. It sounds so lovely and just right. “Will you sit down?” He asks carefully. His hands pat the seat on the bed next to him, and Akihito carefully follows and sits down hesitantly next to the older man. “Those things you took-” he starts, but he's interrupted by the frightened boy.

“I-I can give them back! I swear! I’m sorry!” The cat defends himself.

“No, no, it's alright. I wasn’t going to say that. I was gonna say..that you can keep them if you wish.” He responds. Trying to ease the boy's mind.

Hazel eyes sparkle excitedly. “Really?!” He asks. His voice goes an octave higher. He looked suddenly less scared and in more wonder.

“Yes, of course…I want us to be very good friends, you know….This is a very nice room you have here. Do you like it?”

“Yes. It’s my favorite room in the house.” He says, and a light blush flushes on his face.

The two talked for a while. And oh could the little cat-boy talk. He talked about everything, what he ate for dinner, his favorite color, how he liked sneaking out through the tunnels and stealing food from the cook.

Eventually, Akihito got so comfortable talking to the King and sharing every mundane little detail of his life that he sat on the older man's laps and rested his head on the King's shoulder.

Asami didn’t approve of the living quarters he was in- despite Akihito saying he liked this place. Nor did he approve of the scraps he was given for food. This little creature was too divine and extraordinary to be left to his own devices.

It was past three o’clock now, and they had talked for a few hours. The boy was getting noticeably sleepy.

“Kitten? Are you sleepy,” He asks, and Akihito nods. Asami scoops him and picks him up princess style. “I want you to sleep in my room tonight.” He declares, and Akihito only softly smiles and lets him carry him out of the room and down a few flights of stairs. They don't see anyone else in the hallway as Asami leads him to his room, that is until they get to his hallway. Suoh is still outside, but he only nods and allows the two to pass. 

He gently places the little cat-boy down on the bed and pulls the covers over him. Akihito smiles warmly. These were much warmer covers and a much softer mattress than the ones Akihito had in the tower.

...Although the ones in the capital would be even nicer. Asami muses on as he crawls into bed next to him and pulls him close.

He pecks a good night kiss on his little prince's forehead.


	70. Chapter 70

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Again! 
> 
> I feel like people seemed to like period Aki-cat and Asami from last time didn't they?...hmm.. 👀👀👀
> 
> Anyway back at it with a little bit more smut. 
> 
> It's election night and I think we all need some destressing for what could be a scary night. I honestly don't know what the outcome is gonna be but I hope all of you guys are staying safe and that you voted 🗳
> 
> Enjoy ❤️
> 
> CHAPTER 70 HOLY HELL 💕

Asami rolls over, well spent and sated. The moon was becoming low in the sky, but the two had been at it for hours.

After the first time, Asami flipped Akihito over on all fours. He pushed his tail out of the way and penetrated him again. He had gone slow and steady the second time. It had made the poor boy wail, but this time he didn’t give into it. Not until they were both coming again to the slow waves of pleasure.

The third time, he had Akihito sitting on his lap, and he’d pick the boy up from under his knees and slam him down on his cock. He’d roll his hips into him. It was rougher and messier. From that angle, the penetration was deeper and new. Akihito mewled and whimpered, but he came hard all over himself.

The fourth time, Asami laid them down on their side, and he took him from behind. And the times after that were becoming a bit of a blur. Asami took him from every which position he could think of and found new ways of inciting pleasure into him.

And poor Akihito was getting more haze-eyed and dazed, completely lost in his heat. All he could do was cry for more and more, which Asami happily gave. But even Asami was beginning to show signs to wear now.

He looked at the time. There were about two more hours before dawn. He leaned against the pillow, taking a moment to catch his breath after their most recent round, while Akihito did the same.

He’s thinking about what to do next. Akihito needed to be washed up. They were both quite a mess. And Asami thinks he could picking him up and bring him into the shower so the two could rinse off. He’s already formulating, taking him a few more times in the shower stall and then letting him rest while they wait for the sun to come up together.

It was a decidedly good plan, but before he can move a muscle. Akihito suddenly springs up from the bed he sits up, his back to Asami.

“…Kitten. Are you alright?… Let’s clean off in the shower…” He says, and he rubs the boys back.

Akihito turns around slowly, and their eyes meet.

The sight takes Asami back for a moment. “Kitten?…”

Akihito’s pupils are tiny vertical slitted pupils. Cat eyes. He looks just like the last time he was in heat when he had jumped on top of Asami.

It was like a switch had gone off. Body language changed, and the way he carried himself seem to change in an instant.

The Akihito, who had spent all night begging and wailing, was gone, and what remained was clearly some kind of wildcat.

He looks down at Asami with a heated look, as if Asami was the pray he was stalking.

Akihito doesn’t seem to register any of Asami’s words. He doesn’t take his eyes off Asami, and he slyly crawls towards the older man.

Asami sits back, eyes trained on him as well. This time he won’t interfere with whatever Akihito had planned. Although he could already guess what this was about and the though inflames him in his nether regions.

The blond wraps his digits around Asami’s cock, and he gives it a few tender tugs. He leans down and licks the side of the member until it springs back to life.

Asami's a bit uneasy thinking Akihito will take it into his mouth- the boys little fangs are understandably making him a little nervous.

But he doesn’t. Akihito just licks with his little pink tongue, up and down his length.

Those potent cat eyes are still locked on to Asami as he licks away. He licks until Asami’s cock is wet and needy, and then he sits up.

“Thats it, Kitten." Asami breathes out, a smirk curling on his lips. “Ride me.”

Again, Akihito doesn’t register the words. But he swings his legs around, straddling the man's hips. His eyes only flick away from Asami for a moment while he lines himself up with the hard member. He spreads his cheeks with one hand while he guides the member into his tight hole.

“Nnngh!” Akihito twitches. His eyes almost go back to normal for a moment as the moment of pain is bitten down, and he plunged the cock deep inside of him. “Haaahaaa” He pants heavily as he takes a moment to adjust himself to the fullness.

“Akihito…ugh.” Asami groans at the tightness.

Akihito rolls his hips and bounces on top of Asami, as he rides him gruffly. From his position here, he’s in control of the angle of penetration, of how deep it goes. How fast or how slow, he wants it.

He rides on, his hips roll with each thrust and skin slaps on skin. The friction increases, and pleasure waves in fast anguishing tides.

He had started off as if his instinct had taken hold of him, looking so resolved. But now, as the pleasure builds, those potent cat eyes melts away, and his eyes soften. Akihito return. He’s sloppier than before, and his pace seems to slow as if tired when he comes out of his trance-like state.

“Come on, Kitten.” Asami encourages, and he plants his hands on the boy's hips and helps him lift himself up and slam himself down.

“Mhhhhmmm.” Akihito moans, and he gets back into the rhythm.

Now the boy doesn’t seem to care about how lewd he looks from this position. His little leaky cock jiggles in front of Asami as he bounces crudely on top of him. Nor does he seems to care about the saliva dribbling from the corner of his mouth as it had all night. Nor how red and swollen his lips look right now.

Now he was getting closer and closer to coming, but he was losing some steam. So Asami wraps his fingers around his pink cock and pumps it gentle to help guide him there.

Akihito jolts in pleasure when he comes, “NHhh—Ahhhh.”

His cum paints Asami’s chest white, and his inside walls clench up tightly around Asami member. It’s enough to draw out Asami’s own release, and he cuts deep inside of the boy.

Akihito slumps over on top of the man in exhaustion. His legs still straddle the man, and Asami still inside him. The older man wraps his arms around him and lets him rest.

After a moment, the older man gathers him up where he lays. He holds on to his lower back to support him as he picks him up and off the bed. At the same time, Akihito holds himself up by holding on to his neck and wrapping his legs fully around Asami.

The Yakuza walks the two of them to the bathroom while he still sheathed inside of him.Earning him little bouts of whines from Akihito as Asami heads to the bathroom.

Akihito’s to wasted to protest the cleaning, and perhaps he knows he needs it. Asami turns on the water and brings them both inside the large shower stall. The warm water feels good against their worn-out muscles.

Asami brings Akihito up against the wall in the shower and props him against it. He lets one of his legs dangle down, and he lifts the other one from under the knee. Akihito wraps his arms around his neck, and his face digs into Asami’s neckline.

“You shouldn’t have done that earlier, Kitten.” Asami breathes into his ear, and he begins to slowly pump in and out of him. “You have to pay the consequences for turning me on like that.”

He rocks his hips into him, and he suckles on the boy's neck. He still has an hour to kill before dawn, and he’s going to make the most of it.

Once Akihito’s all sexed up at least two more times, does he tuck the newly cleaned cat boy into bed. The boy had hardly been able to stand in the shower anymore.

He was utterly wasted now as he sunk into the mattress. Sleep took him quickly.

And a few moments after that does his lithe little body transform back into the cream-colored cat. Marking the end to his first-ever heat where he wasn’t alone.

Asami climbs into bed after him. He lets Kirishima know that he’ll head to work later than usual. So that both of them can properly rest, and the pair fall asleep together quickly.


	71. Chapter 71

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short one... 
> 
> ❤️❤️

Asami awoke in the afternoon and the cat was curled up next to him, fast asleep. He had a feeling Akihito would be pretty tired, so he didn’t want to wake him just yet.

He got partially ready for the day. He made himself a coffee and prepared Akihito’s breakfast. But then he went back to wake him finally. He lay down next to him and gather the tiny cat up. Placing him on his chest under an arm. 

Then slowly woke him up by scratching the cat's head lightly. The little cat's face scrunched up sleepily as he woke up. Akihito meows quietly and squeaks. His hazel eyes flash under squinted eyes, and he stretches his front paws. He meows again, a little angrier, and his paws cover his eyes.

“I’m sorry, dear, but I have to go to work. Would you like to come? Or would you like to rest?” He asked. “You can nap at the office. If you like.”

Akihito stretches again, and he yawns slowly. But once he is done, he meows and nods his head, signally yes he wanted to go to Sion. He seemed a little too tired to get up right away. So he stayed lying down. And Asami lay down next to him, so he wouldn’t have to move if he wasn’t ready to.

Asami stayed with him and petted him down his back as he woke up a bit more. Akihito was very affectionate. He rubs his face against Asami's face. He turns his face upwards, and his nose rubs against Asami’s nose, giving him a bit of an Eskimo kiss.

He seemed not as energetic as he usually was. Asami can tell he must be feeling very drained, and perhaps he should take the day to rest. Asami wants to get ready for the day and leave him to rest a bit more. But when he tries to leave Akihito’s side, the cat meows and meows at him, as if yelling at him.

“Do you want me to carry you?” Asami scoffs playfully. “You're becoming a very spoiled little kitty, Akihito,” He does pick up the cat and holds him against his chest, all the same.

He goes into the bathroom and gets ready for the day. He doesn’t need to shower, but he needs to shave, wash his face, do his hair, and brush his teeth. Expect every time he tries to put Akihito down either on the floor or on the cabinet. The cat meows angrily at him.

“How can I get ready if I’m holding on to you?” Asami chastises playfully and places him gently on the cabinet to lay down as the cat watches him. Asami then picks him up and takes him to the closet to get dressed for the day when he's done. He places him on the bench when they get there.

Was Akihito having difficulty walking? He was usually energetic in the morning, but today, he seemed very sleepy and even a little physically weak. 

Although Asami was pleased about what had happened, something in the back of his mind was making this morning perhaps a bit bittersweet. He wanted to talk to Akihito, to read his facial expressions and know how he felt about what had happened between them. 

Did he feel like something had changed? Was he happy? Was he at least physically okay? All they had done last night must have taken a toll on his body. The fact Asami was carrying him around made him a little concerned that perhaps Akihito should be resting. Or maybe he needed some medicine like an aspirin, but how would he give that to a cat?

It was impossible to tell if something was on Akihito’s mind while he was in this form. It was hard to hold a serious conversation with the cat. The little game of charades they’d play trying to find out answers.

Yes, it was at times like this where he would prefer Akihito, in his human form so he could at least know a little bit of what was going on in that pretty little head of his. 

Although, Akihito was surprisingly pretty talkative this morning, meowing loudly and making little squeaks and mewls. He’d sit right under Asami and crane his neck up high to look up at him while he was getting dressed. Or he’d make little whining noises and yell when he wanted to be held.

After Asami was done dressing, he tells the cat, who is sprawled out on the bench in the closet; “I already made breakfast for you this morning, then afterward we ca-”

Before he can finish his sentence, the cat suddenly perks up. Evidently, as soon as he’s heard the words “breakfast” and “already made,” he pouncing down from his comfortable perch on the bench and dashing out the half-open door.

Asami blinks in surprise at his sudden departure mid-conversation.

Obviously, Akihito was very hungry.

By the time Asami follows behind him into the kitchen, the cat had already looked around for his bowl of food but can’t kind it. He is now angrily meowing at Asami to produce his food.

Asami chuckles. “Alright! It’s in the pan,” he says while the cats at his feet eagerly look at the food on the counter. Asami puts all the food on the plate and bends down to drop it in front of the cat.

He makes a bit of a mess as he stuffs his face. It was even getting on his face and fur. And here, Asami was worried that Akihito was hurt or unwell, but the way he dashed over to the kitchen - he seemed just fine.

Before they leave for the day, Asami puts on the little red collar around Akihito’s neck. Which they had taken off before he got his heat, in case it became uncomfortable.

They head downstairs and greet Kirishima, who has the limo waiting outside. Asami could probably guess that his two secretaries knew very well why the two were late this morning. However, neither would say anything about it.

They walk into Sion. By now, the cat in Asami arms is nothing new to the employees at Sion corporation. Most have gotten so used to it and the ensuing grab for the phones to take pictures to add to their group page on Akihito sightings.

Since they were late today, even fewer people were about. But it also meant more excitement because people who usually miss their entrance get to catch a glimpse of the pretty pet.

They settle into the office soon afterward. And Akihito plants himself on Asami’s lap for a much-needed nap. Asami works away at his desk and ideally pets the cat.

Kirishima comes into the office before lunchtime to relay some information to Asami.

“Sir. We just got back word from some of our contacts in Hong Kong…it’s Fei Long. He’s made contact.”

Asami rubs his chin. It had felt like ages since he had heard about Fei Long potential reaching out, even though it had only been earlier this week. He had been so preoccupied with Akihito and his heat that it almost slipped his mind. He was also half expecting not to hear anything else about Fei Long.

“…And?” He presses his secretary for more while he pets the cat in his laps head.

“He wants a meeting. He’s interested in resuming talks about a smuggling route to Hong Kong…” Kirishima pauses, and Asami could tell there was more the secretary wanted to say.

“Yes?”

“…But, he’s made it clear that if there is to be a meeting, he wants it done… in Hong Kong, sir. Those are his terms.”

Asami exhales, “Why in Hong Kong?”

Kirishima shrugs. “It’s his home. They said something along the lines of - if you came to Hong Kong, it would mean you’re serious about making a long term deal with him.”

“Could this be…a trap?” Asami questions, he was already mulling the thought over.

It was an interesting question. It wasn’t that unnatural for Asami to go to the countries he planned to make deals in and speak to leaders of other criminal organizations or heads of international businesses. Although there was always risk in doing such things - people might be secretly hostile to you and be luring you into a trap on unfamiliar territory.

But what reason did Fei Long have to be hostile to Asami? They hardly knew each other. Asami had some connection with his father and former leaders of the Baishe that were amicable. And there was no enemy that they knew that would use the secretive and rather closed off Fei Long to get to Asami.

Kirishima shrugged again. “We have no reason to believe his request for a discussion is not genuine. Personally, sir, from what I’ve read about Fei Long - he wouldn’t be in contact with people we consider enemies. And by all accounts, we don’t fit the bill for people _he_ considers to be enemies. I think it’s legitimate. Whether or not it’s going to lead to something actually concrete - is a maybe. It seems they might just be testing the waters - see if you come and what they can get out of it. And then if something is amenable… then they take the next step.”

Kirishima was very astute. His thoughts on the matter were entirely how Asami felt about it.

Asami nods in agreement, “Does this mean we should go this week? If we still have hesitations about Fei Long, unfortunately, I think the earlier we go, the better. We shouldn’t give him the opportunity to plan something in case something is off. We don’t announce that we are coming- we just announce we are here and ready to talk.”

Asami had gone all business-like when suddenly a thought crawls into his head. What about Akihito? He certainly couldn’t bring him to Hong Kong.

And then, as if Kirishima knew exactly what he thought, he replies. “Akihito should sit this one out. He can be at the apartment. This should only be a few days at most, and a day at the very least.”

“Agreed.”

* * *

They talked for a while. Suoh joined them later to add his own insight. And they had come up with a few plans.

They would go to Hong Kong in two days' time in the morning. When they arrive, they will make their presence in Hong Kong known to Fei Long. Hopefully, they can get in contact with him within hours of them landing in Hong Kong for talks to begin.

Then they’d either leave for Japan the next morning or even that night.

Their discussion even turned to what Akihito would be doing while all this was going on. Since none of them thought it would be safe to have Akihito come- now wasn’t the time for a little vacation in Hong Kong.

The whole discussion, the cat himself was dead as a doorknob asleep. And at one point, Asami picked him up and placed him on his cat bed so he could move around more freely without the cat on his lap.

Asami needed both Kirishima and Suoh to be there with him in Hong Kong. But he also didn't like the idea of leaving Akihito without someone he could trust. The best they could do was put other members of a security team to watch the apartment and making sure Akihito was safe inside.

But another concession was made, Ai Momohara would be with Akihito that day and night until Asami got back. It would make them all feel immensely better knowing that someone who knew Akihito’s secret would be with him and looking out for him while Asami was out of the country.

He’d have to break the news to the cat later when he was awake. He was sure he would take the news very well, especially if Ai were around to keep him company.

* * *

Asami decided to go home early, a fact Kirishima was not happy about because he had already come to work late. But he wanted to go back with the cream-colored cat before he transformed for the day.

He needed to break the news he was going to Hong Kong for a day. And well…he was curious to see where they were now. So they left for the office before the sun went down. It was getting warmer these days, so the sun went down a little later in the evening.

Akihito had honestly napped on and off for most of the day. Only getting up to get food and lounge around the office a few times. So it was a pretty lazy day for the cat. But when Akihito had found out Asami was coming home earlier with him he seemed very excited to go home.

They’d arranged it, so as soon as Asami got home, it would time be for Akihito to transform. So as soon as Asami gets home, he lets the cat plop down on the ground while taking off his shoes. By the time he looks up, the boy had already transformed, standing naked in the front hallway with only the skinny little red collar on him.

He promptly shoots up on his tippy-toes so he can wrap his willowy arms around the older man's neck. He droops himself over the man's chest.

“Are you finally awake now?” Asami teases, the boy's golden head is just under his chin.

The only form of a response he gets is a purring noise coming from the boy's throat, and he rubs his cheek against Asami’s chest.

“…Akihito…What is it that you want, kitten,” His hands hook around to his hips and hold him up by his lower back.

The boy only purrs back some more, but after another minute, he finally peaks his head up to look eye to eye with Asami.

He’s red as a tomato. But a soft smile graces his feature, and hazel eyes are sparkling happily. He reaches up a bit higher on his tippy-toes and plants a kiss on Asami's lips.

Asami knows just then that any discussion about Hong Kong will have to wait…


	72. Chapter 72

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, hope everyone is doing good. I'm preparing for thanksgiving, which is honestly my favorite holiday and because of covid me and my sister will be hosting it at our very small apartment- which is simultaneously stressful and also really really fun.   
> so sorry if my posting kinda pitter off. I'll try to update when i can, especially since we're getting to the exciting part of the storyline - i will likely keep getting distracted by fluff 🤣
> 
> anyway enjoy! ❤️

*Jingle*Jangle* “Nhhhhhh.”

Asami smirked turned predatorily.

*Jingle*Jangle*Jingle* “MHHH.”

He was going to end up loving those small bells attached to Akihito’s collar. They jingled wildly with every hard thrust he put into his kitten, and the boy mewled and moans along with them.

The two hadn’t even made it to the bedroom. The couch was about as far as they could get to. Asami sprawled the little cat boy on it and opened him up nice and slow.

There was a noticeable difference to Akihito from last night, but only small ones.

Akihito had a bit more reason in him today. He was no longer lost in a hazy cloud of his heat. He was still about as equally lost in pleasure. But he seemed more aware of what was happening.

There was a docileness to him last night, as he had given in to the needs of his heat easily. A docileness that wasn’t there now. Yesterday there had been some scratching, but it was minimal. Now there was bitting and scratching to new levels.

He seemed unable to help himself in that department, as every bit of pleasure he received elicited _some kind_ of response from him. His teeth needed to sink down on to something, and so did his little claws- either Asami’s neck or shoulder or back became the target.

Although that wasn’t much of a deterrent since Asami only had to pin the boy's arms over his head and bound his wrist together in a pretty bow with his tie to make it stop.

There was also the fact that his insides weren’t as slick and wet and ready for him as they had been yesterday. But Asami was patient, and lube was a thing that existed. The older man enjoyed slowly splitting the boy open.

And now, all that could be heard was the cat moaning fragrantly and the squelching sound of Asami entering and re-entering the boy. And well, of course, the little bell shaking around on the boy's neck.

Akihito tries to lift his head up, his little white fangs flashing from under his parted lips trying to find something latch on to. 

“Ah-ha. No bitting,” Asami admonished the little vampire, and he pushes his neck back, so he can’t reach.

The boy whines in response.

Asami shifts his legs upward and dives into him from the new angle. And now the boy's head rolls back as he moans. His back arches into, and he pants as the heat in his belly overwhelms him.

“Ahhh, Asami! I’m Nhhhh- noo!” He clenches up as he comes on his chest.

Asami’s jaw clenches, and he grunts while riding out his own climax. He’s empties out inside his boy with another roll of the hips. He buries himself in his neckline and lightly kisses the boy's shoulder and neck as they both catch their breath.

“Good boy, Good boy Akihito…” Asami praises. Once his breathing has returned to some normalcy, he gathers him up in his arms and picks him up.

Akihito wraps his arms around the older man's neck, and his legs tighten around the man's hips, and Asami walks the little bundle into the bathroom. He can already tell Akihito’s exhausted. And while he could always go for another round, Asami actually thinks Akihito shouldn’t push himself, and they should both catch some shut-eye after their relatively sleepless night.

He plops him down on the ground and takes off the little jingling collar thats so pretty around his neck. Asami starts their bath routine by starting the water and adding the oils to make Akihito skin silky soft.

They sink into the bath together when it’s full, Akihito sitting on his lap and resting his head on his shoulder.

“Ahh…Feels good, doesn’t it, kitten?” Asami asks as the warm water feels wonderful, and he hooks his arms around the cat.

“Mhm-hm,” Akihito nods in agreement.

Now was a good a time as any to tell the boy about Hong Kong. “Well…kitten…I’m gonna be busy this week. I have to take a…short business trip…to Hong Kong.” He hesitantly said.

Akihito sits up, and his big eyes get so wide. A smile spread across his little face, and his eyes sparkle excitedly, “HONG KONG! I’ve never been to Hong Kong before!!”

Asami slumped, and his face fell. He should have known this was gonna happen.

“Oh, kitty…”

Akihito completely disregarded Asami's response and continued on as starry-eyed as ever. “How exciting! When are we going?!”

Asami repositioned the cat on his lap so that he was looking at him.

“Kitten…I’m afraid you’ve misunderstood. I can’t bring you to Hong Kong.”

The cat's face drops and his ears along with it. His wide eyes look at Asami as if he’s from Mars, and he blinks several times in confusion.

“I’m sorry, darling. It’s for your safety. We can go to Hong Kong another time. I promise. I’ll take you on a special trip, where ever you want to go, darling. But I need to go for work, and it won’t be safe for you to go…” He explained, although the way Akihito was looking at him, he might as well have been speaking another language.

Akihito tilts his head, and he bit down on his lower lip as if fighting back a trembling lip.

 _Oh no_. This was gonna be harder to explain than he thought it was going to be.

But then Akihito did something Asami didn’t expect. He buried his face in Asami's neckline and wrapped his arms around Asami's neck.

“Y-you’ll be back, though, won’t you?” And he made a little whining noise in his throat,

“Of course, I’ll be back. I’ll only be gone for one day.” Asami responds.

“You promise.” Akihito's voice had such a sad little note to it.

“Akihito… Of course, I promise. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be right back.”

“…Okay. Then I-I understand.”

Asami pats his head. He wasn’t sure what to make of this sudden development. He turns Akihito’s chin up, “What’s wrong, darling?”

“I-I don’t want to be a bother, so you can do what work you need to do…”

“My sweet boy. Why would think you’re a bother. Never.” He gives him a chaste peck on the lips. “Must I remind you again that you’re mine?”

Akihito perks up a bit at that, and a soft smile returns to his cheeks. “I know. I guess I-I just…. I don’t like having to share. But I know I must.”

Asami chuckles. “Sweet boy…You shouldn’t have to worry your pretty little head…You’ll always be mine. I promise I’m not going anywhere. At least never for too long.”

Akihito seems satisfied with the answer and relaxes a bit. A healthy blush returns to his face.

“I’ve asked Ai to keep you company that day. So you’ll have something to do.” Asami tells him.

“Really? A sleepover! With Ai!” He perks up excitedly with the news.

Asami chuckles. “Yes. A sleepover.”

Asami says while he idyll washes the boy off, and they finish up after another few moments.

“Shall we get out now dear,”

He picks him up, and they get out of the tub when Akihito nods in agreement. They dry off, and Asami does his regular and favorite part of their routine. The rub down with the eczema cream.

Then when they’re all dry and Akihito’s hair is nice a fluffy again, they head back to the bedroom, and the boys tucked into bed.

Asami wanted to give Akihito a little break, but once he was lying next to the sweet-smelling boy and his skin was silky smooth after the moisturizing it just received. Well, it went totally out the window, and the older man couldn’t help himself.

Plus, Akihito looked like he was in needed a reminder of just who he belonged to, and with Hong Kong coming up- They might as well get it all out…


	73. Chapter 73

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay back at it with an epsiode with some progress...but also... silliness 🤣
> 
> Hopefully post another episode soon! 
> 
> Enjoy💕

Asami awoke on the morning he was supposed to be going to Hong Kong.

He was getting up a little earlier today for the occasion so that he'd have an early start getting to Hong Kong. He woke up a little bit _after dawn._

His alarm clock going off so early had made the boy next to him whine a bit but he just repositioned and went right back to sleep.

As Asami cracked his eyes opened only slightly to turn off the alarm.

He could tell it seemed like such a beautiful peaceful morning. A blissful kind of morning that Asami could certainly get used to.

It was the kinda morning where one would say something romantic like - the sun was shining and the birds were chirping. And the boy was curled up right next to Asami, and the older man nudged him a bit closer as he started to wake up.

Asami had hardly peeled his tired eyes open and so nothing in this scene seemed out of place to him. He yawns to himself and blinks a few time.

He goes over that line again, as something had seemed wrong with it...The sun is shining the birds are chirping, his boy is asleep next to him.

There was something so right about it. And yet, something…not right.

It takes him another sleepy hazed moment to realize what it was.

_The BOY!_

Asami sits up, eyes almost popping out of its sockets as he looks at the boy sleeping next to him.

It’s where the boy always was- except _never ever_ after dawn.But their Akihito was. In his human-form. After dawn.

And more than that- his cream-colored cat ears atop his head - were gone.

Asami’s floored. He doesn’t know what to do

He double-checks himself. He triple checks himself. But the scene in front of him does not change.

Akihito was here. At least an hour after sunrise with no cat ears in sight.

Asami lifts the blanket - he gasps. AND NO TAIL.

He wants to shake the boy awake. He had so many questions, Kiko had never mentioned something like this happening. Was he changing? Was he not gonna get his ears back?

He’ll take a picture so there’ll be evidence later. He snaps a quick photo of the sleeping boy with his nearby phone. And then takes a look at him a bit more.

He looked exactly the same. You might not have even noticed the little cat ears were missing. His thick blond hair blends in naturally to the rest of him that you wouldn’t think there was anything missing.

Asami runs his hand through his hair and ruffles his hair slightly. The boys closed eyes pinch and he makes a little whining noise.

“Akihito…” He pecks his sweet little lips.

Asami won't say anything and will let him wake up on his own. He wants to see if Akihito notices himself if there's a change.

Akihito's eyes perk open slightly and he closes them right back up because it's far too bright outside and he’s too sleepy for getting up this early. He smacks his lips together sleepily and he stretches out his arms, over his head.

“Akihito…” Asami says again and Akihito wonders why Asami was being so persistent this morning.

He only answers with a sleepy, “Huh?”

“Do you feel anything different Akihito?”

His eyes squint. What was Asami talking about? “I feel sleepy…” He says wearily.

“Akihito you silly kitty. Open your eyes.”

“Whhhattt?” Akihito slumps while he whines.

“Akihito look. The sun is out. But you’re- You’re not a cat.” Asami finally explains.

Akihito’s eyes blink open and for a moment he’s frozen, eyes wide and confused. He blinks a few times. But then he turns up his hands and looks at himself.

“Your cat ears are gone too!” Asami continues.

The boy grips his head and looks around for his cat ears. But Asami was right his ears were gone.

His mouth forms a shocked O.

“Asami! My EARS FELL OFF?!”

__________________________________

After a little bit of explaining and trying to calm a very distraught Akihito down, was there a sudden “POOF” - and he was a cat again.

Asami immediately got on the phone with Ai, who was already on her way to the apartment anyway for the day. He paced back and forth around in the living room talking to her.

He was already all packed and could leave whenever he liked. But now he was having doubts about even going because of all the excitement.

There were a lot of questions he had now. Akihito had a third form? One where he didn’t have a tail or ears- where he looked like a regular human. Was this just the start of some kinda transformation? 

Could he transform at will to different forms?

Was this part of the growth spur they had all talked about, the late-bloomer theory they were always talking about? That Akihito was still growing and changing and his final form could potentially be able to transform at will between a cat, a half-cat, and a human?

It seemed very exciting progress and admittedly very cool to think about. Akihito, could one day be a fully-fledge human? He could lead a very normal healthy life?

Although, Ai reminded him to be pragmatic. Yes, it was an interesting event, definitely fascinating- but change wasn’t going to happen overnight.

She came over a little while later. And encouraged Asami to go on his business trip.

“He’s unlikely to be switching to this new human form again today. But let’s make plans for tomorrow when you get back to meet at the facility. I still have to run those test on Akihito’s harmony levels after his most recent and *cough cough* successful heat,” she flashed a playful but genuinely happy smile at Asami, but then went back to business “We have almost everything up and running at the facility now. We could run some other tests and see what's going on. I imagine we might be able to test something on the cellular level. See if somethings developed in that regard.”

Ai was sitting on Asami’s couch in the main living room, Akihito was sitting attentively in her lap. He had been very quiet since this morning and curiously listening about everything that had been discussed.

"But we're right though- in thinking this is happening because of his growth spur right? He's changing." Asami continues.

"I think we have to assume it is. As you know he's has been developing a lot faster in the last few two years. It would be one thing if he had stayed in his half-way form after dawn. But he didn't he's in a totally new form, where he's human..."

There was a pause as Asami sits down, he looks squarely at Akihito. Even Ai can see the tint of worry but also curiosity in his eyes. He clearly wants to immediately investigate this and get answers right away. 

"We're not gonna get answers right away. And with Akihito, we are likely never to get the kind of answers we probably want. Go on your business trip. This can wait until tomorrow...." Ai reassures him. 

Asami exhales. “Alright…if you think so.” He says reluctantly. 

He leans down and scoops the cat off Ai’s lap and places him right up against pec and shoulder so they were eye to eye. He turns around on his heels towards the main hall so they can have some privacy, and he waves goodbye to Ai.

“Now you’ll be a good boy for Ai won’t you?” The cat meows affirmatively in response. “And you won’t worry about me, and you know I’ll be back?” Asami continues. The cat meows again and he puts his paw on Asami’s cheek. “And you know when I come back I’ll give you lots of kisses.”Akihito meowed ardently to that.

Asami turns his head and planted a strew of kisses on the cat's nose and face. “Alright, darling…I’ll be back. I’ll miss you.” He plants another kiss on his pink nose. “Bye-bye, darling.” He gently places him on the ground and then puts on his shoes and waves goodbye one more time before he leaves the apartment.

Kirishima and Suoh are waiting outside the building for him, and they pull away from the curb when Asami climbs in.

Asami thinks as they pull away, that this meeting with Fei Long better go well. He wants to be back by later tonight…

_____________________________

The day goes very smoothly indoors with Ai and Akihito.

Ai has brought a bag full of things with her. Activities that the two can do while Asami is away. Including some pet clothing which she is eager for Akihito to try on.

She had gotten together a colorful assortment of clothing, for him to try on and to model. The veterinarian clinic she was now in charge of had a section in the front hall where a selection of pet things could be bought. Things like toys, collars, treats, and food. They were going to be adding a little section of pet clothing.

This is where the bulk of her collection of clothing came from. She had decided that since she was coming over to Asami’s apartment she could at least do something work-related.

Akihito would be her little model, and maybe she’d even use the pictures she took for promotional and advertising for the store- with Asami’s permission of course. But at the very least she’d narrow down some of the choices that would be sold at the store, she'd pick her favorite while Akihito modeled them.

The cream-colored cat was very good at modeling and Asami’s beautifully decorated apartment that was well lit served to be the perfect place for the mini photo shoot. Ai was so impressed that she was starting to think Akihito could really become some kind of pet model.

She had a boat-load of cable knit sweater, that were very well suited for the cream-colored cat. She took those photos in the living room on the couch so it looked as if the cat was having a cozy night in.

Her favorite was the set of raincoat apparel, which included a bright yellow rain cape and a matching hat. They took those photos out on the balcony.

She had him in little hoodies. She even had little sunglasses and other accessories to go with each different outfits she had planned out.

He put him in a little collar with a tie ensemble and staged him on a desk with paperwork.

“Look at this little businessman!” She explained excitedly while she took her photos.

The clothes started to become a little bit more in the costume realm of things. First, she got into her hat collection before she really dived into all the costume things.

There was a beret which he wore with a little red bow so he looked like a little Frenchmen. There were many, many bunny ear hats that Ai was especially fond of. A few bear ear hats too. There was a top hat and a wizard hat. And a knitted bright green frog hat, that really brought out his hazel eyes.

Since they were both having such a good time, she decided to break out the more costume-like clothing.

There was a green dragon onesie that Akihito thought was very comfortable and fluffy. Ai’s went crazy over the maid costume but Akihito didn’t like how long it was.

Some black wings were attached to his back, and while Akihito could definitely not fly Ai had him jump off the couch for a mid-air photo.

There was Taco Akihito, Cowboy Akihito, there was even Pikachu Akihito. Akihito the lion and Akihito the bee.

It was getting just too damn adorable. She immediately sent a few to Asami.

“He’s an internet sensation in the making Asami.” Ai wrote to him. 

But she still had one more special thing in mind, that she was saving for later that night when he transformed into his human form.

* * *

**OMAKE:**

A FEW HOURS LATER: 

Suoh on an anonymous forum account: "I'm about to leak some super TOP SECRET DOCUMENTS" 

Post a picture of Akihito in a Green Frog hat.

"Akihito the Bosses Cat" Fan Club Forum *EXPLODING*

______

Some adorable visual aids with cats that I think even kinda look like Akihito:

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me to Ai: 🤝 thank you for your service 😂


	74. Chapter 74

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some seriousness but also more silliness in this chapter too. 
> 
> Enjoy ❤️

Asami was more than very amused, receiving all of Akihito costume photos from Ai. He got a barrage of them when he landed in Hong Kong that afternoon.

Akihito was a very photogenic cat, and he was such a pretty kitty he would definitely become an internet sensation as Ai had said.

But Asami wanted to monopolize him. He wanted to keep him all to himself- so no becoming an internet sensation.

The security team he was traveling with put Suoh, Kirishima, and him into a car and drove them to the city center. Asami always stayed at the InterContinental when he stayed in Hong Kong, and they were heading towards it.

His men in Hong Kong had already reached out to Fei Long to schedule something for today. By the time they got to the hotel and settled in, they were informed that Fei Long agreed to a meeting. Except no details were given about where and when. 

“Come on, Fei Long, what's the meaning of not telling us when or where?” Asami scoffs. He looked at his two most trusted advisers. “If he’s stalling like this…”

The whole point of coming here without his knowledge and doing a surprise meeting was to _not_ give him the chance to prepare- in case he did actually have something nefarious planned for Asami. And if he was now stalling for time. Well then, it appeared that perhaps he was really up to something.

They were hoping to talk to him today.

Kirishima signed. “Let's give him an hour to respond. And if he doesn’t give us a time for _today_ , it’s a no go, and we leave. We can say something else came up, or we only had a small window to meet. If he doesn’t want to start talking at the negotiating table after that…or if he asks that we come again to Hong Kong- well then…”

“We have our answer…” Asami finishes.

 _Fei Long better not have wasted my time._ He thinks.

The trio wait. They do some other work in their adjoined suites at the hotel while waiting to hear back from Fei Long.

Before long, they hear back, but it’s not the response they were expecting.

“He’s downstairs?” Asami questions when he heard the news.

Okay, he was impressed.

Asami had given Fei Long a little surprise visit on his turf, and Fei Long responds with his own surprise visit at Asami’s hotel.

It was promising news.

Asami goes downstairs to the hotel bar. It’s mid-afternoon, so no one else is around. A lone tall man with long black hair leans against the bar, having already ordered a drink. He’s by himself, or so Asami’s men have told him. He came by car with only one other man who is waiting in the hotel's front circle.

And so Asami will go by himself as well, and he walks up behind the long-haired man. The man doesn’t turn around as he approaches. Asami leans against the bar himself and nods to the bartender.

“I’ll have what he’s having.” He tells the bartender, and then he sits himself down at one of the chairs at the bar.

Only then does the Chinese man whirl around, the faintest of smiles on his face. He’s got delicate facial features, a thin nose, and long lashes. He has hooded eyes with unusual pale grey color to them.

He tilts his head slightly to the older man and follows suit in sitting down next to him. He has a clear gracefulness to him as he sits upright and politely next to Asami.

“Asami-sama.” He greets with another nod of the head.

Asami tilts his own head in acknowledgment, and Fei Long continues. “I’m sorry to bring you to a bar when I’m not much of a drinker myself.”

“That’s alright. It’s a little early for a drink myself. But I’ll happily have one now.” Asami responds cooly.

Fei Long smile broadens, and he looks away and instead puts his attention on the bartender, making Asami’s drink. “You're almost exactly how I expected you to be.”

“Is that a good thing…” Asami ponders.

“Perhaps…I haven’t decided yet.”

The drink is deposited down on Asami's side, and the bartender walks away to the other side of the bar.

“Shall we begin?” He continues, and he raises his glass for Asami to clink his own glass against.

_________________________________________

The meeting was an interesting one.

They only touched briefly on a potential deal for a trade route through Hong Kong. They talked mostly about his work here in Hong Kong.

He explained he was very protective of the ‘clan’ he had created here in Hong Kong. They were like family to him, which is why he was so secretive about his organization. He was very much aware that his business operation was considerably a much smaller affair than what his father had once had.

“But…it all my own, you see. Yes, we do things a little differently than our…predecessor. But we _are_ different. I don’t have any intention of bringing back the Baishe of old.” Fei Long had answered frankly.

“We have different rules now. Y’know we’ve gotten rid of a lot of the scum in Hong Kong. Perhaps you’ve heard?” He continued. “Human traffickers. They had long put up shop here in Hong Kong. Bringing people, they have ripped away from the Asian countrysides, and bringing them here to be bought and sold- as if they were nothing more than pets, instead of living breathing people.”

Asami nodded. He had heard rumors that the new Baishe targeted and destroyed organizations that trafficked people for the sex industry.

It was a particularly disgusting trade. Asami, of course, had whipped out his far share of traffickers in Japan himself when they had taken root in Tokyo. Although they were a slippery group of people, who often found ways to slip past even him.

“It’s a lowsome industry.” Asami agrees. Fei Long was surely discussing all of this because it was something he had heard about Asami. That they shared in their distaste for the trafficking industry, which was at least part of the reason Fei Long was choosing to do business with Asami, although thats all he said about the mater and Fei Long moved on.

For a while, they spoke about business and even rivals.

“In Hong Kong, there’s a chapter of Russians here. Led by the most annoying and fickle of leaders. You may have heard of him. Mikhail.”

Asami scoffs. “Yes. I know of Mikhail.”

“He’s honestly an idiot. I couldn’t possibly do business with him. He’s almost impossible to talk to. He doesn’t take anything seriously.”

He went on and on about how the man apparently flirts with him and how unwanted his affections were.

And speaking of unwanted affection…The conversation turned rather personal…too personal.

It would veer off business quite a lot. Was it flirting? Asami couldn’t really tell. He was taken off guard by some of the man’s comments. It was flirting, but almost something was almost insincere about it. Asami couldn’t quite put his finger on it…

“Can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.” Asami waved his glass.

“What cologne do you use? It’s very _alluring_ …and yet. Something faintly sweet-smelling about it too. Normally I’m very good at spotting what it is. But I can’t quite catch this one.”

I mean, what kind of question was that? Asami gave an innocuous answer. But he was left very confused by the question.

Was Fei Long really flirting with him? And so crassly…

By the end of it. Asami wasn’t really sure what to make of the man. Nor did he know the fate of any business deals. He seemed just to want to get to know Asami before any talk of a deal could be made.

The meeting had felt rather more like a date… It was as if both were feeling each other out before any decision could be made.

Asami groaned. He hoped the rest of their talks wouldn’t be like this. It seemed overly friendly for a business partnership.

But since the meeting ended earlier than expected, he could do something he much rather be doing…

________________________________

“It’s called video chatting, Akihito,” Ai explained.

The cat head tilted to the side.

“I have a little device that has a camera on it, just like how I took pictures of you today. Except it can record sound and your image moving. And it sends to Asami little device. So that we can see each other and talk to each other.”

Ai knew that Kiko was never much of a technically kind of person, so she hadn’t really explained to many things like this to Akihito ever.

“It’s straightforward. Asami dials a number, and this little thing will make a ringing sound and pop! If we answer it by pushing a button on it, then we can talk to each other.” Ai nodded approvingly.

She had heard that Asami's business meeting was wrapping up, so they were expecting a call from him at any moment. But he seemed to be delayed. So Ai was taking the time to explain the technology.

She was gonna set the little cat up in the master bedroom for some privacy. It still wasn’t sundown yet, although it was nearing it. She plugged the cell phone in for battery life and then set it up. Finally, the call came in.

“Tap the green button with your nose Akihito,” Ai instructed, and he answered it on his own.

His little face was the first thing Asami saw, and the man chuckles as his face took up the whole screen. Akihito perked up, realizing he was seeing Asami on the little screen and recognizing his voice.

“Hello, Akihito! Hello Ai!” Asami speaks into the phone.

He bobbed his head around, looking dead on at the screen. He even batted his paw around in front of the camera as if he could touch Asami although, he was finding out he could not.

 _Asami’s trapped in a box!_ Was all he could think, and for a while, he just kept batting at the little box in front of him. He was determined to get Asami out of the box.

It was obvious to him that somehow Asami had shrunk too! Although he would fix that too. He looks at Ai and looks back at the phone and bats it. Why wasn’t Ai doing anything to help Asami trapped in a box! And he makes distressed whining noises at her.

“Akihito, look, it’s only a video! Hello Asami- sama. I hope you had a safe flight. Akihito, stay back away so he can see you properly, you silly cat.” Ai simultaneously does her greetings and explaining to Akihito how the cameras work.

She pointed to the little side view that showed him, explaining that was what Asami was seeing.

Asami continues talking, explained that the meeting went well, and Ai talked about what the two did all day. Akihito sat near her and looked eagerly and curiously at the phone. He’d meow a few times an agreement. Although he still didn’t believe that Asami was not trapped in a box.

After a while, Ai decided to say her goodbyes to Asami and hand the phone off to Akihito, knowing the sun was about to go down as well. And she left, leaving the phone sitting up on some pillows.

“My sweet Akihito? Did you have fun today…” Asami asked. Akihito rolled around and looked at him upside down - just to check. “I saw all your pictures that Ai took. Did you like them?”

Akihito responds mildly. He didn’t like all of them, and some of them were annoying to put on.

By the time he rolls back around, the sun has gone down, and he’s transformed from cat to human. He already has a pouty face on, cheeks puffed.

“Mmmmm…. Aaaaasssammmiii!! Are you trapped in a box?!! Do you need my help!? How did you get trapped?!” He says, sitting up once he could finally speak.

Asami chuckles. “It’s alright, Akihito. I am not trapped. I am in Hong Kong.”

“And when are you coming back…” He whines, his face growing poutier.

Asami chuckles again. “Hmmm…I’ll guess I’ll be back by tomorrow.” He rubs his chin.

“Tooommorrroowww!!” Akihito whines some more, and he makes little whining noises in his throat. “I-I don’t want to sleep in this bed all by myself,” He puffs.

“Aw. Only for a little bit longer, darling. I’ll be right here. You can fall asleep, and I’ll stay on the line, and it’ll be like I am home. Hmm? How does that sound.”

Akihito did like the sound of that, but he still wanted to whine a bit. He sheepishly answers. “Ookkkaayy….”

He sits up suddenly and moves out of the frame of the camera. “Where have you gone, kitten?” Asami asks as he hears something happening in the background.

He hears a muffled explanation, but the boy is too far away, so the words come out confusingly, “Ai- and costume -she said - put it-“ and Asami only stares eyes narrowed at the phone for a few moments later as he’s still confused about what was going on.

Another moment goes by, and Akihito has still not returned to the camera screen. “Akihito? Where’d you go?” Asami asks.

But then Akihito returns to the frame, and he’s wearing a brightly colored costume.

Oh, Ai. She really did deserve _another_ raise.

It was clear that she had somehow persuaded the cat to put on some clothing. But not just any costume. It was a very professional looking costume- cosplay worthy. It appeared like it could have been perfectly tailored for him.

A genie costume. Or perhaps it was a belly dancer. It was unclear.

But the point was, the boy was in black sheer harem pants that went down to his lithe little ankle. The pants billowed, and the sheer fabric showed off his slender legs. There was ablue sash that went in-between his legs. The upper part of the costume was a matching blue little crop top with some tassels that hanged off the end. It had big billowy sheer blue sleeves. The pants even had a hole for his tail!

Asami, who prided himself on his mild manner and control - was floored into downright silence. And suddenly wished that high-speed travel involved instant teleportation.

“Ai gave it to me to wear!” Akihito said, and he twirled around to show him. “It’s very comfy. She said you would like it.” Asami was still floored, so he continued on, “I’m gonna go show her!” He ran off-screen in excitement, presumably to show Ai how utterly adorable he looked in the costume.

There was a muffled scream in the background- as obviously Ai was just as delighted about the costume. Some time passed, and Akihito finally returned, still in his little costume.

He had a pink blush on his face, and he climbed back up on the bed. “Ai said she would get them in every color!”

To which Asami laughed. He would probably need doubles since he could imagine some of them would probably receive damage when he tore them off the boy. But he digressed.

Akihito had decided the costume was so comfy that he’d even sleep in them. So he moved the phone slightly and climbed into bed. Unfortunately, Asami could no longer ogle at the boy in his beautiful costume. But it was a familiar sight seeing him curled up in bed, although alone.

Akihito seemed to be thinking the same thing, and his hands reached out to the half of the bed where Asami usually slept, and he made a whining noise.

After a little while of more of idyll talking to the cat, he drifts off to sleep, to the soothing sound of a baritone voice whispering sweet nothings in his ear.

* * *

Akihito on the call: 🤣 (I've been dying to use this meme)


	75. Chapter 75

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy ❤️

Akihito’s not sure how long he was asleep for. 

He only knows that by the time he wakes up again, it must be pretty late. 

But something has woken him. It's the familiar sound of the front door opening. Akihito sits up. His ears perked up to listen.

 _Asami at the door!_ A smile spreads across his face because he knows that meant Asami was surprising him by getting home earlier than expected. He gets up and wants to rush over to the front door like he always does. So he can greet the man. 

Except before he can do anything, a smell reaches his nose—an unfamiliar smell.

Akihito's face drops, and he feels a wave of boiling anger at what he smells. He rushes to the front hall.

Asami hears the boy coming from the bedroom as he’s taking off his shoes. They had left Hong Kong right after dinner so that they could land back in Tokyo at about 1 AM and be home earlier than expected. Asami was happy to be back. He was excited to see his kitten's elated face when he finds out he came back early. 

He's actually finding he's pretty tired after back to back, five-hour flights to Hong Kong and back. He's hoping Akihito will be in that lovely genie costume still, but he'd be happy to just climb into bed next to him.

As he hears the boy coming, he calls out. “Did I surprise you? The meeting ended early. So I tried my best to get home as soon as possible.” He says as he hears the boy near him.

He thinks Akihito will be so happy to see him, and the boy was- until he caught a whiff of him.The boy enters the front hall, a _serious_ pouty face on him. He was not happy. Asami looks up and sees the expression on the cat-boys face. 

“What is it?” He asks.

“T-that smell… Asami! Y-you SMELL HORRIBLE!! You need to get into a shower right NOW!” He whines, and he even stomps his foot for dramatic effect.

Asami's taken aback. I smell? He sniffs himself self-consciously.

“Huh? What are you talking about? I smell bad?” He wasn’t sure what this was about.

He suddenly remembers an incident a while back ago. Akihito had mentioned something about how he had smelled bad and that he was 'fixing' the problem by laying right on top of the man. It was because Asami had spent a few hours meeting with a lady client with very pungent perfume. The boy's nose was sensitive like that. But that time, he hadn't really been mad or upset. And that time as well, he hadn't gone as far as to demand Asami shower.

“Come with me!” He says, and he turns on his heels. He’s ready to guide him down the hallway towards the bathroom.

Asami signs. “You really want me to shower. But Akihito, I’m very tired. Can’t it wai-“

“NO!” The boy turns around and interrupts very persistently right in Asami's face. Just so that he knows how serious he is, he grabs Asami’s hand to take him to the bathroom. He seems practically ready to drag him there.

“Akihito…do you want to explain what this is about at least…” Asami asks as he gets reluctantly dragged down the hallway to the bathroom.

“Me? Me explain myself? How about you explain yourself. Why do _you_ smell like - like -HMPF like SOMEBODY else!” Akihito pouts. He is seriously outraged right now.

“Someone else? You mean because of my meeting?” Asami genuinely doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He steps into the bathroom anyway because he doesn't want their raised voices to wake up Ai. “Will you at least join me in the shower?” Asami asks, hopefully.

But Akihito is only very stern. He refuses to join him in the shower until whatever offending smell is removed. Asami removes his clothes and jumps into the shower. Akihito sternly oversees the process from outside the stall, seemingly making sure he’s scrubbing himself down enough.

Asami's never seen the boy so angry, and yet it was an adorable kind of anger.

Although Asami's still willing to follow along because he has a slight feeling about what this is all about.

“Am I clean enough now?” He playfully asks the cat as he’s lathering himself up.

It seems as if as the offending smell is removed, Akihito loosens up a little bit. He takes off his costume and decides to join him- but only to help lather up and clean his back. He re-lathers up his hair with shampoo and Asami stand-by and lets the boy rather angrily wash him.

A few things are starting to dawn on Asami.

Was this… ‘someone else’ that Akihito was smelling? Was he smelling Fei Long?

Was he’s…jealous?

Fei Long was a little flirt with Asami, after all. The man had even done some unnecessary touching. They shook hands, he patting Asami on the shoulder, and touched his arm.

It was like the Kitten knew all of that. 

“Kitty…are you…jealous?”

The boy goes bright pink, and his pouty face raises to indignation, and his chest puffs in annoyance.

"Is this something about marking your territory or something?" Asami asks playfully. He kind of liked the sound of it, although he didn't really understand his little cat antics. Asami chuckles, and that seems to make him even matter. “Darling, am I clean enough now for you?” Asami asks.

The boy reluctantly nods. Asami turns off the water and drys them both down. Before he’ll say anything more on the subject. The boy suddenly drapes himself over Asami, his willow arms wrap around his neck, and he presses himself against Asami's chest. He digs his face into the older man's neckline.

He was running so hot and cold, wasn’t he?

“Kitty. Darling. My sweet little Akihito. I had a meeting today with a young man who was a little clingy today. But my darling- ” He pulls Akihito’s chin up and wraps his arms around him. The boy has a sad look in his eyes, and Asami realizing that he obviously feels a little hurt.

“…He’s not you, darling.”He locks their lips together in a lovely passionate kiss, one thats not demanding. But soft and tender.

“I only have one kitty,” He says when he releases the boy, and his kisses trail down Akihito's neck.“Akihito, my sweet kitten. You need lots and lots of reassuring, don’t you? Well, it’s alright, darling. I’ll give you lots of reassuring….” He kisses him again and again. “I told you I would kiss you lots when I get back, didn’t I?"

The boy only whines in response, and Asami picks up the naked boy. They walk back to the bedroom together. Asami tiptoes so they don’t wake up Ai, who’s still sleeping in the other room.

“Now. What do I need to do? Do you have to scent me again or something? Would you like to sleep on top of me again?" Asami asks as he plants the boy back onto the bed.

Akihito bits down on the bottom lip in either embarrassment or uncertainty. He nods softly, and a little blush returns to his face. He climbs right back into bed, and he covers his blushing face under some blankets.

Asami climbs into bed after him and turns off the lights.

When he turns around, the cat boy is already trying to curl himself up in the older man. He puts his head on Asami’s chest, and Asami wraps him up in his arms.

Oh…it's good to be home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A jealous Akihito is ready to throw hands 😤


	76. Chapter 76

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg wow 1900 kudos 🥳🥳 Thanks again everyone 🥰
> 
> in other news. I'm actually in the works for another AU story and will probably be posting it within the next few days. so keep your eyes peeled 😉

The next day everyone takes a bit of a break. Ai goes back home in the morning since Asami is back, and she says her goodbyes to Akihito, who’s up and about by morning. She tells him they’ll be seeing her later that day anyway.

Meanwhile, Asami sleeps in quite late as for once he’s a little sleepy after the back to back flights to and from Hong Kong. Akihito got up earlier than him, and the cat moseys around the apartment letting the older man sleep even though he was getting hungry and wanted to be feed.

Eventually, Asami awakes in the afternoon. And Akihito’s the first to greet him. He climbs up on the bed. Asami thinks he wants to cuddle, so he opens his arms, ready to scoop the kitten up.

But no. Akihito was just hungry, and he had been waiting so patiently until now. He meows angrily at Asami. He bounces on top of him, and meows. Then he dashes to the door and meows angrily, as if telling him to hurry it up.

“Alright, alright! You're hungry? I’ll get up,” Asami sighs. He climbs out of bed and heads straight for the kitchen. Akihito meows after him the entire time as he walks to the kitchen.

A late breakfast/lunch is prepared, and as soon as the plate goes down on the ground, Akihito practically snarfs it all down in a single go.

“Alright, kitten, what are we going to do today?” Asami questions. Akihito is still munching away at his food to take notice of Asami’s musing.

They had their appointment with Ai, but that wasn’t until much later in the day.

Asami decides to dress in some causal clothing. He didn’t want to bother Kirishima and Suoh, who had taken the morning and part of the afternoon off. So that meant they were to stay indoors until they were picked up for their appointment with Ai.

Which was fine for Asami. He had some minor work things to do, which he could do from home. He took some calls for a few hours, and idyll played and pet Akihito.

“Akihito…let’s go on a little holiday next weekend. We can take the plane anywhere? Where would you like to go? Something…relaxing. Like a hot spring?” Asami muses to the cat after he’s finished a few calls.

The cat perked up at that.

“I know you're not exactly a water person… but it is getting close to spring, and the hot springs would be nice around this time. Perhaps we could go to... Kyoto? We could stay up somewhere in the mountains. We could take walks in the garden…”

Akihito surprisingly liked the hot springs idea, and he looked delighted and eager, and he climbs all over Asami meowing enthusiastically.

“Alright then…I’ll set it up then.” Asami declares, and he leaves a quick message for Kirishima to set it up.

Since Akihito didn’t get to go to Hong Kong, Asami happy to take him elsewhere. 

Since Asami had been missing work a bit, the calls ended up needing more of his attention, and it took longer than he had anticipated, which was fine because all he had to do was occasionally scratch an ear and rub a belly when the cat demanded it. And Akihito demanded it often.

The cat would crawl all up on top of him, something he usually didn’t do at the office since he wasn’t allowed to distract Asami. But since he was home, he would climb up on top of him. Asami would be sitting on the couch, and Akihito would climb up to the top of the couch and jump up on his shoulders and even on top of his head.

The afternoon rolled on, and it was soon finally time to leave for their appointment with Ai.

The tests they were planning would take a while and had to be done both in Akihito’s cat form and his human form. So they would show up at the facility before sundown. They'd do some of the tests, and then he’d transform, and they’d do more tests.

Kirishima called to let them know they were downstairs, ready for them. Asami donned his three-piece suit before they left, and he carried Akihito down the elevator and into the car.

They took the limo around to the back entrance of the facility. Everything was going exactly as planned, and nothing was out of the ordinary. Suoh opened the door for Asami and Akihito, and they head inside to the back rooms, which were specially for Akihito.

The clinic was already closed for the day and Ai was waiting for them in the back room. Ai greeted them when they entered.

“Asami-sama, Akihito-san. I hope the rest of your afternoon went well. I’m glad we could meet again. But we have some work to do.” She set the two down in some chairs and went into detail about what test they were going to be running.

“We are gonna do two blood tests, one when he’s in cat form and one after he transforms. And I would also like to run two CT scans since we just got in the new scanners. It’s been quite a while since we last performed them. I did a CT scan withKiko about - well more than a year ago easily. I think it would tell us a lot about any development happening.” Ai continued with her explanation of the things that needed to be done.

“Akihito, I know you’re not a fan of when we draw blood. But you’re going to have to be a big boy today. I'm sure Asami will gladly hold your hand through it all” Ai turns to Akihito.

The cat hides behind Asami upon hearing it and makes whining noises.

“Aw. I am sorry, dear. It won’t be that bad. Asami and I will try to get it done with very soon!”

Asami scoops him up and pets him to comfort him. “It’s alright,” He whispers sweet words to him to calm him down.

They decided to do the blood test first, and they plop Akihito down on an examination table. The cat is looking at Asami with his big wide eyes. But puppy dog eyes will not get him out of the blood test.

“Sorry, dear, but Ai’s right. I’ll be right here. I promise it won’t hurt a bit.”

Ai prepares the needle and tries her best to hide it from Akihito so he doesn’t get too scared. But he’s already whimpering, and he perches up on Asami, who’s holding on to his paws.

“There, there.” Asami soothes him as the needle is pricked in and a small sample is drawn. When it's all done, Asami gently places him down and praises him, “See, that wasn’t so bad now, was it?”

“Very brave kitty,” Ai adds.

They're still praising him, and Asami scoops him up so they can take to the short walk to the CT scan in a nearby room. It’ll take a while for them to set up everything with the scanner when suddenly Kirishima steps into the office.

“Sir…” He speaks, and the serious expression on his face tells Asami that it’s something that something must have happened, and it can't be repeated in front of Ai or Akihito.

He looks at Ai and then back at Kirishima. “Sorry, Ai, let me just see what's going on…” He places Akihito back down on the examination table, the cat meows at him- seemingly sensing the tension that floods the room. 

Asami steps out of the examination room and into the hallway. He notices Suoh is at the other end of the hallway, opening the back door and looking out vigilantly as if on high alert.

As soon as they’re out of earshot, Asami speaks. “What's going on?”

“There's been gunfire reported at Club Sion,” Kirishima says, and Asami's eyes flash in surprise. “We aren’t getting a lot of information right now for some reason. It sounds like an on-going situation. The club wasn’t opened yet for the evening, but it’s gone into lockdown. We aren’t sure of anything yet. But it could just be something random. We had no other alerts to suggest anything else…” 

Asami pauses a moment and exhales. A shooting at the club? What could have provoked that…

“We need to go to the control room at Sion to find out what's going on…” Asami finally speaks. Kirishima nodded in agreement, and Asami continues. “Suoh and I will go. You stay here with Akihito, and we’ll send a car over. We’re gonna have to cut the appointment short…. I want Akihito back at the apartment before he transforms.”

Asami lays out the plan. Kirishima nods, and they both turn around to go back into the examination room.

“I’m sorry, Ai, Akihito. Something very serious has come up. I, unfortunately, have to leave…” he says he can see Akihito looking at him with puzzled eyes, but he turns his attention back to Ai. “Kirishima’s going to be staying here with you. We’ll get the CT scan done for today- but I’m afraid we’re gonna have to cut the rest of the appointment short.” Asami explains to Ai.

Ai has a worried look on her face. She can obviously tell it must be something important. But Asami is very calm and relax, so she nods understandingly. Asami turns to Akihito, who sits up when he walks over to him.

“It’s alright, kitten. Hopefully, it's just nothing, and I’ll be right back at the apartment… you be a good boy for Ai now.” He strokes a pet down his back and by his ear.The cat purrs, letting him know it’s alright.

Asami turns to leave, he says his goodbye one last time and then exits. Suoh is waiting outside with the limo, and he jumps in, and it pulls away.

They are hightailing over to Sion, which is normally about a 30-minute drive, but they'd get there in 20. The control room in Sion is basically an operational room. It's a communication center for all their men. From there, you can access camera feeds instantaneously from all of Sion's properties. When there's a situation like this, the control room is the best place to be.

It was certainly no place for Akihito, especially if there was a situation that involved something violent like a shooting. Asami certainly wanted to keep Akihito away from any of that. Except...

The entire drive back, Asami feels a pit in his stomach. Something doesn’t feel right.

He’s trying to think of a motivation for going after Club Sion. There weren’t any major deals happening there at the time- it wasn’t even fully open. It could have just been random, like some squabble with employees or else a crazy person thinking they could rob the club.

But the fact they weren’t getting any information suggested it was an on-going situation. One that hadn't been cleared up yet, by their trained security team at Club Sion. Which doesn’t suggest some crazy person...it suggests…something more organized.

Asami’s trying to think if he’s done anything recently that may have insulted someone and the shooting is some kind of retaliation against him and his business. But nothing is coming to mind.

All he is thinking about is the only thing out of the ordinary he’s done recently is his meeting and a potential deal with…with Fei Long. Somehow the thought makes the pit in his stomach feel deeper.

There's no evidence, but something in his gut is telling him Fei Long is involved. But why, for what purpose. And why attack Club Sion in broad daylight- it seemed like such a- such a red herring.

_ A distraction... _

Asami feels his blood run cold with that thought, and something seems to be clicking in his head. Like a light bulb going off and memories of the last week come flooding back to him, and he's seeing a connection..

Fei Long speaking about traffickers, and the contemptuous hint in his voice, _"As if they were nothing more than_ ** _pets,_** _”_

Fei Longs odd attempts at flirting… _“What cologne do you use? It’s very alluring…and yet. Something faintly_ ** _sweet-smelling_** _about it.”_

Akihito’s angry face as soon as he returns home from Hong Kong. _"Y-you SMELL HORRIBLE!! You need to get into a shower right NOW!_ ”

Or his other words, that Asami hadn't thought seriously about, " _How about you explain yourself. Why do you smell like - like -HMPF like SOMEBODY else!”_

_The memory of his talk with Ai about Akihito’s transformation, “Akihito’s final form could potentially be able to transform at will to a fully-fledged human,”_

_Oh god…_

“SUOH!!” Asami jumps to the partition screen thats already partially open, “Turn around! Go back to the clinic!” 

Expect he knows it must be too late…

______________________________________________

“There's nothing to be afraid of, little one.”

Fei Long sits in the back seat of his Mercedes. The kennel in his lap is a buzz with a chorus of sad sounding whimpers and whines.

“I’m sorry I had to scare you. I didn’t like having to put you in this thing- but we were at a loss of time. You don’t have to worry… you're safe now.”

He continues, he opens the door slowly and peers inside the kennel.

The cream-colored cat is hiding all the way at the back of the kennel, its back is arched, and his fur standing on ends. He had been like this since he was ripped away from Ai’s arms. When he sees Fei Long at the door, he puts up a brave front.

“HISSSS” he scrunches his face up, and his tiny fangs flash.

“It’s alright… I’m very sorry. You can come out now.” Fei Long responds.

He puts the kennel down on the seat next to him. He can open the top half of it, he unlocks the claps and takes the top part of the kennel off and places it on the ground. Akihito’s now exposed, and he whines. He tries to stay the farthest away from Fei Long and backs himself in the corner.

Fei Long takes a good look at the cat now that he’s gotten him alone. “Hmm…yes, a very fine cat, aren’t you? Asami must have paid a fortune for you...” The observation is almost to himself, but then he sees the cat is clearly still terrified and he continues in a softer tone.

“It’s alright, little one…I know you must be scared. But it’s alright now. You’re safe now. You can trust me…I’m family.” 

And with that, Fei Long transforms on a dime. He disappears under the suit he was wearing, and a dark-haired Siamese cat with pale grey eyes pops out of the jumble of clothing.

* * *

the majestic Fei long: 

It was hard deciding what cat Fei Long should be. Cause he has long black hair I was kinda like a black cat?? and there are actually a ton of Asian cat breeds that have black coats. But idk maybe it's because I already associate Asami with being a black cat - that I don't see Fei long as being one.

Also, I mean Siamese cats are exactly what I think of when I think of Chinese cats- even though they are actually from Thailand. Some Siamese cats have that light coloring, but Fei long and his long black hair would make him be in the darker spectrum like this here kitty- he would have the black tail and the black ears. Also, I mean Siamese cats are like so beautiful and I think they have a reputation of being kinda majestic and pretty so that's exactly Fei long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I try to be so sneaky, but then some of y'all guessed it and Its literally like 😤😤 my readers are sooo smart 🥺
> 
> but I am so excited for this next part 😉


	77. Chapter 77

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Recieved lots of love for last chapter 😊😊 I've been so excited to introduce Fei Long, so i was so happy to see he was well recieved ❤️
> 
> Even though he was kidnapping AKI 😭
> 
> I rushed to finish this one up- it's a longer one then usual. Almost 9 pages 😩 which I can assure you is not easy to write in two days even if you have it mostly planned out.
> 
> I'll try to get another one out in a timely fashion but it will probably take another two days at the least.

Asami rushes back to the vet.

He’s not sure if his suspensions are correct, but Kirishima is not answering his phone, which is bound to mean something is wrong.

If you realize the shooting at the Club Sion is just a distraction, a big bright red herring. Then the only explanation was the point of the distraction was to split Akihito and Asami up. And the only reason someone would do that was if they knew Akihito was not just a cat…

Asami’s not even sure what made him think that Fei Long was a cat just like Akihito without much evidence. Obviously, one that could transform into a human.

The shroud of mystery surrounding Fei Long's past and exactly what he does now in Hong Kong seemed like a glaring hint.

Then there were his own words about that alluring ‘sweet-smell’ on Asami - it could only have been Akihito. Asami had smelt it himself during Akihito’s heat. The kitten's scent must have been all over Asami, and only another cat would notice something like that.

Then on top of it all, Akihito’s sharp reaction when Asami returned home. Of course, Akihito was jealous. He had smelt another cat on Asami! Akihito had never met another cat person before. Perhaps he couldn’t put into words what kind of interloper he smelled. 

Asami didn’t even know it was possible for there to be another cat. He had always thought Akihito was just one of a kind. It seemed impossible that there was another one, and not just another one- one that flew in the same circles Asami did.

But what other explanation could there be?

The fact that it all happened in the clinic was too much of a coincidence. The apartment was secure. Not many would have been stupid enough to break into Asami's apartment. But the clinic- that was only as secure as the people in it.

And Asami had just split everybody up and opened the door for something to happen.

A few moments after his realization and after his frantic calls to Kirishima does Suoh gets the security alert on his phone that an alarm has gone off at the clinic.

Asami rubs his forehead in worry. They’ll be too late.

The best he can hope for is that Kirishima perhaps holds them off for just a little bit longer. But it's looking likely that this was a highly planned attack. They’ll surprise attack quickly and efficiently. The alarm going off was probably an after effect.

They get to the scene a few moments after that, the back door is wide open, and it looks like the powers been cut to the whole building. Suoh and Asami enter together, guns drawn, some emergency lights are still on.

“Akihito? Kirishima? Ai?” Asami calls into the building. The two tiptoe towards the back rooms.

“A-Asami!!” They hear Ai’s uneasy voice coming from the examination room in the distance, and they rush over to her.

'In distress' would be an understatement to describe her. She’s shaking like a leaf when they find her, on her knees treating a head wound on an unconscious Kirishima. Tears stream her usual cheery face, and she’s hiccuping and sobbing uncontrollable. 

“Th-they took him Asami, they took him,” she sobs.

Asami's heart sinks in his chest. Akihito’s been taken, his jaw clenches.

He already knew that Akihito would be taken, but having it be confirmed by a weeping Ai makes it all the more gut-retching. But he’s still Asami Ryuichi. And the moment of anxiety, the moment of worry, is quickly turned into furry and resolve.

He will get Akihito back, and if a single hair on Akihito’s little head is out of place, there would be hell to pay.

“It’s alright, Ai. It’s gonna be alright. We’ll get him back. I know we will.”

He helps Ai off the floor, and Suoh stays with Kirishima. The ambulance is already on its way, and so are his men. But he needs to locks down the clinic. Only Suoh and he will look at security feeds.

He leads Ai out of the building because she is likely going into shock, and the air will do her good. He puts his suit jacket over her and has her lean against the limo. He sits down next to her and wraps a comforting arm around her.

She’s still so upset that he puts her head on Asami’s shoulder and has a good cry into it.

“It’s okay. We’ll get him back. I promise… Akihito will be alright…” He says to her. She starts to noticeably calm down, “Now, what happened?”

She explains about starting the CT scan. She needed Kirishima’s assistance since the big scary machine was making Akihito whine. They set up the scanner, and Ai shows Kirishima how to start it from inside the separate control room. While she stayed with Akihito and rolled him into the machine. He had to be strapped up, and she rolls him in.

The scanning started, and it was a quick few moments before he was out again. She was unstrapping Akihito when suddenly the lights went out - and she heard some scuffle on the other side of the glass window in the control room.

She called for Kirishima, but she couldn’t see anything. She knew something must be wrong, and so she grabs Akihito. There was a fire alarm lever in the scanner room, but she couldn’t find it in the darkness.

The doors open, and some of the emergency lights came on. A tall man with long black hair stood at the door. He speaks, although Ai is in too much of a panic to know what he says, but something along the lines of “he was taking the cat.”

She knew this man was bad, that he shouldn’t have been there. That Akihito was in danger. She tried to make a dash to the fire alarm when a gun is flashed in front of her by some another dark-haired man that enters behind the other.

She backs away in the corner, still gripping on to Akihito. She only remembers Akihito hissing and growling as the men come towards her. Her sobs get a little harder as she remembers that.

“He tried his best to fight for me,” She says through some sniffles. “I just held on to him for dear life. T-they were gonna have to shot me if they- if they wanted him,” She continues. “But they just- they just cornered me and snatched him. They grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and stuffed him in a kennel. And they… they were gone as fast as they came. I pulled the alarm as soon as they were gone but it was... it was too late.”

“Ai, you did good. You did your best.” Asami tries to comfort her.

Just then, a car pulls up. Some of Asami's men, who were on their way here- they had been alerted on the way that the situation had turned bad.

“Ai, I’m gonna ask my men to take you home and make sure you get home safely. They’ll stay outside your apartment tonight, okay. I got everything from here on out, don’t worry. I promise I’ll keep you in the loop.”

She nods understandingly and goes with one of the drivers. Just as the car pulls away, the ambulance for Kirishima arrives. Asami turns around and sees the secretary is on his feet, Suoh and another one of Asami’s men, are helping him out of the building.

Kirishima’s looking very pale, and blood seeps down his head. It looks like it might be concussed.

“Sir-” Kirishima starts. He sounds so anguished.

Asami steps up next to him, “It’s alright, Kirishima. We were all deceived. We’ll get him back. The ambulance is here. We need you fighting fit, so you worry about getting better.”

“I’m sorry, sir.” Kirishima looks so devastated.

And it reminds Asami that while Akihito was his, he still meant something to all of them. Ai and Kirishima, even Suoh, who at the moment looked on as upset as the rest of them. They all want to get Akihito back as much as he did.

The ambulance intervenes and takes hold of Kirishima. Asami sends him off to the hospital with the other guard that had arrived.

“Suoh.” Asami looks at the tall blond man. Suoh looks back at his boss, and there's a determined flick in his eyes. “Let's get to work.” The blond nods.

___________________________________________ 

A team of Asami’s men arrived to secure the building. But they had strict orders to keep everything under lock and key, and only Asami and Suoh will have access.

The team restores power to the building, so Asami and Suoh can view security footage.

“What are we looking for,” Suoh asks.

“How did they get into the building? Without tripping alarms…” Asami hadn’t told anyone about his theory that Fei Long was a cat. It was only a theory, after all. “I think Fei Long somehow knew what Akihito was all this time…Suoh, this is gonna sound crazy. But I’m starting to think… he’s a cat. Just like Akihito.”

Suoh eyes flash in disbelief. “How is that possible…another cat…well I think we can say he’s _nothing_ like Akihito…”

“Agreed…We already knew they could transform into full humans. Maybe anyone could be a cat. If he knew about Akihito, it’s possible it was because he is one.”

They looked around the security footage going backward. They see Fei Long with the kennel getting into a car. They made a note of the license plate and immediately put it out for their men and police to be on the lookout for it. They saw Ai holding on to Akihito in the scanner room and getting cornered and weapons getting pointed at her. They saw Kirishima getting knocked out from behind. And thats when things got more interesting.

They saw Fei Long and another man enter from inside the building.

“They were already inside? How did that happen?” Suoh pondered, and they went back further and further until they found the scene they were looking for.

What they learn was this. Fei Long and this other unknown man had already been inside the building - disguised as cats. Yes, they were both cats. Fei Long, a dark-haired Siamese, and the other a brown Burmese had been inside the clinic all day. They had been dropped off by their ‘owners’ earlier this morning for the vets - Pet Hotel service's done at the clinic.

The cats were able to escape from their kennels and from a locked room. A bag in a vent was waiting for them with clothes. They both boldly transform into humans in full view of the cameras. Fei Long even mockingly waves at the camera. Oh, he clearly wanted Asami to know very well that he was one of them.

They change into their clothes. Meanwhile, Asami and Akihito had just arrived at the vet. Their presence here are unknown to anybody since they had already hacked in and messed up some of the alarm systems. And as soon as Asami and Suoh leave, they make their move.

It was a well-planned attack. They hacked into the system before even arriving and bide their time inside the clinic, knowing their targets would arrive and not be expecting an attack from within.

Their target. Akihito. But what did they want with him? 

Suoh was pretty thrown when he saw the two cats making their escape from their kennels.

“There two of them?”

“Suoh, I’m starting to think that Fei Long knew about Akihito before we even met. Maybe it's why he even wanted to meet in the first place…”

________________________________________

Akihito’s ears perked right up as he looked at the Siamese cat coming towards him.

_What the heck?!_

He knew that guy had smelled funny. He looked the cat up and down as it stepped closer and closer to him. He jumped over the kennel and recoiled further away from the cat, as he didn’t want to get any closer.

The cat seemed to begin to understand that even this wasn’t going to help the situation, so he returned to his human form. And quickly covered himself.

“My name is Fei Long.” He began again. “As you can see…I’m just like you. I know back there it wasn’t a very nice thing- but I can assure you I mean you no harm. I only wished to get you out of there as fast as possible. I know you are a young cat who’s probably never met someone thats just like you. But I’m here to tell you that- there's actually quite a lot of us.”

Fei Long looks up. The sky is low in the sky behind him. He knows the little cream-colored cat is about to transform soon, and he comes prepared.

Akihito transforms in the back seat of the car, another moment later. He’s still trying to retreat into the corner, cowering and twitchy. He attempts to cover himself with his hands. His cat ears are turned down, and his eyes are big and scared. He still manages to make some hissing noises.

Fei Long's eyes flash in surprise. A boy? He had smelled a heat. He had thought the little cream-colored cat was a girl…

Fei Long ignores that bit of information for now. He can’t help but feel responsible for the boy's fear. He put his hands up defensively and picks up a nearby blanket, and passes it to him for the boy to cover himself. Akihito rips it away from his hand and hisses more under his breathe. He fumbles with the blanket for another moment before covering himself.

“What is your name, little one?” Fei Long begins again.

The boy's cheeks poof angrily, and he looks away. Fei Long sighs. A stubborn one.

“The drivers a cat too,” Fei Long continues. “A Burmese…Aren’t you the least bit interested in who we are. I know we are very curious to meet you…”

Still, the boy ignores him, and the frown on his face deepens, but Fei Long continues.

“Are you at least curious where we are going?” Fei Long looks for a response, the ears atop Akihito’s flinch slightly. “We are going to my home. Where there are a lot of people - like us there. We live together and take care of one another. We’re _family._ And…we’d like you to be part of that family…”

Akihito lifts his eyes slightly, curiosity rising as Fei Long spoke.

“Everyone back home is very excited to meet you…Do you think I can give them a name, perhaps…” Fei Long knows he’s getting close.

Another moment drags on, and Akihito, puffed cheeks soften, but he still looks at the ground. “M-my names Akihito…” He finally says reluctantly.

“Akihito…thats a very nice name. I hope we can be good friends, Akihito…”

Fei Long continued talking. He told him all about the cats in Hong Kong. He gave the boy some clothing before they arrived at the airfield.

Akihito was still avoiding eye contact and not speaking. His ears were still turned down. He would not forget so easily how upset these men had made Ai.

Kiko had always taught him not to trust strangers. And hadn’t these stranger’s taken him by force…expect they were acting rather nice. Did they know Asami? It was a confusing predicament for Akihito.

“Do you know Asami…?” He questioned carefully.

Fei Long had been in these situations before. So he knew what to do.

“Yes.” He lied. “He’ll be coming along shortly.”

How could he not lie? Especially when the tension in the boy's shoulder suddenly loosened. He perked up, and then he was willingly lead out of the car and into the airplane.

As soon as they settle into the airplane and it took off shortly afterward, Fei was able to have a private moment with Yoh in the back of the airplane.

“That was the riskiest plan you ever had…” Yoh admonished Fei wearily, but quietly. He should have been used to it by now.

“I know, I know... And I know Asami is likely to come after me. But what can I do…You’ve seen the boy. He’s just innocent. I have to intervene.”

There was a moment of silence. Yoh leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “So he’s an intersex boy…”

“Yes. And you must know that fact, basically confirms everything. Intersexes are the _rarest_ on the market—the most expensive. Sheesh, I am sure Asami paid a bloody fortune for him. Or else he must have gotten him as a gift so that traders could sell on his turf.”

“But what about what he told you at the meeting - that traffickers were lowsome…and we do have lots of reports that he destroyed many sex trafficking rings in Tokyo…” Yoh tried. He had already tried this before but to no avail.

“Come now, Yoh. Not this again. He only said that because he wanted to make a _deal_ with me. You know as well as I do that there are _traders_ are on his turf- and he does nothing to stop them. And on top of it all, how do you explain the fact that he has this intersex boy in his _possession_. The prettiest little specimen I ever did see, and so _well_ mannered too. I bet he comes from one of those horrid breeders I've heard about. And as for that other stuff, it may be true he got rid of trafficking rings in Tokyo- but that was for human trafficking. Not _our_ people. He probably took one look at this pretty little boy and sold his soul just so he could keep him as a _**pet**_.”

Yoh sighed. He hadn’t completely agreed in this endeavor of kicking the hornet's nest that was Asami Ryuichi. But Fei Long had made some points.

A few weeks ago, they had heard from some sources that Asami had a cream-colored cat in his possession. Small rumors like that- that he apparently brought it to the office and openly doted upon it.

Fei Long had obviously had some uncertainty about the news. A crime lord with a kitten? It must not have been an average pet. But one of there's. And upon further digging, they found more and more information about traffickers with bases in Tokyo - all within recent months.

It was a very suspicious bit of news. Traders in Tokyo setting up shop around the same time that the supposed ‘don’ of Tokyo's underworld is reported to have a cream-color kitten.

To top it all off, last week, they had received an alarming report and evidence of traders using Sion warehouses. It was the final straw.

Fei Long set up the meeting with Asami. In part because he thought he could snatch the kitten away while Asami was in Hong Kong. But he did not expect the man to show up out of the blue. Fei should have expected that Asami wasn't just anyone. This was shrewdness, himself.

But the meeting in Hong Kong was the nail in the coffin.

Asami reeked of the kitten, one that had recently been in heat too. It was hard for Fei Long to even keep it together at the meeting, but he always played the perfect host.

It angered Fei Long so immensely that he wanted to go to Tokyo and _liberate_ the poor creature himself.

“Now… we’ve rescued this boy- as we have done for many of our kind. We’ve done a _good_ thing. I know we have. I’m sure Asami will be angered, especially if he’s grown very _fond_ of his **_pet_**. But Asami is not as different as the _others_ we have had to deal with. We can handle it.”

Yoh sighed. “And what about if this boy has ‘grown very fond’ of his ‘master’…”

“Please. He’ll move on like all the others, especially if we welcome him in our home…now go over there and say hello.” Fei Long admonished his old friend. “He is a very social little cat. I can tell. I think he’ll fit right in.”

They both go to speak to Akihito, who is settling into the airplane.

“I-I thought Asami was coming…” He said, confused.

Fei paused. “Um, we’ll be meeting him there. It’s alright. Why don’t you go to sleep, little one? It’s a long ride. You rest your head on my lap alright.” Fei Long said with a smile.

Akihito softly smiled back, “Okay.” He settled his head on Fei Long laps and received scratches to his ears and hair, which he purred to resonantly.

He soon found himself drifting off to sleep, trusting in everything that was said. He would sleep, and when he awake from his short nap, he’d complain to Asami about not being sufficiently warned about a surprise trip to Hong Kong.

_____________________________________________

Asami obviously could not stand idyll by while Akihito was taken. He couldn’t wait for Kirishima to recover.

He knew there was only one way to get to Akihito back. Fei Long must have wanted it so.

Go to Hong Kong, if he dared.

And Asami dared too.

“Asami-sama, wheels up in 10 minutes,” Suoh said as he entered the cabin.

Asami only nodded from his seat, and he looks out the window when the plane takes off.

Asami was on his way.

* * *

Yoh, Fei Longs partner in crime, and a Burmese: 

And a little hint for whats to come: 

Tao, the Balinese: ❤️


	78. Chapter 78

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary of this episode. Akihito to Tao: Did we just become BEST FRIENDS.
> 
> Another very long one.

When Akihito awakens early the next morning, he is still in human form. He is very groggy though, so Fei Long carries him to a car for another short car ride. Akihito starts to wake up more while in the car, and he can hear his stomach growling.

He notices, too late, that his collar is gone. He rubs his neck, confused about where it went. But he is led up to a tall building - a big tower just like Asami’s. He goes along inside and steps into the elevator. When they stop at one of the uppermost floors, Akihito's eyes widen.

He is greeted by a group of at least 20 people. Some have the cat ears, and some do not. They’re all different colors and breeds, old and young. They were all waiting for him, just like Fei Long had said.

They wave and say hello. They greet Fei Long and Yoh, and most say hello to the newcomer. Akihito’s not used to being in his human form with this many people around. Even in his cat form, he’s not used to so many people and so many eyes on him. He’s a little hesitant as he steps into the room.

Fei Long goes down a line and introduces everyone, “Don’t worry about remembering names. You’ll get to know them all soon, I’m sure.” Fei Long clarifies, seeing how unsure Akihito looked. The boy seems to be looking around as if looking for someone- Asami most likely.

But Fei Long continues, and he goes a little slower. “- And this is my ward, Tao. He’s a Balinese.”

“Hello!” A young boy, who looks to be about twelve, perks up from the crowd of people. He has light brownish hair. He’s a clear-faced young boy, with very intense baby blue eyes that are big and round. He is very charming looking and wearing traditional Chinese clothing. “Master Fei says you’ll be joining us! Will you sit next to me at the breakfast buffet!”

Akihito's eyes lit up- Did he say _breakfast buffet_!?

“Can we go right now!” Akihito says eagerly and hopefully.

Tao doesn’t even answer. His eyes lit up just like Akihito’s. He grabs Akihito by the hand and starts to half drag, half dash towards the kitchen. “This way!” He says eagerly, and his little fangs flash a mischievous smile as he rushes them both to the dining hall.

The breakfast buffet was everything Akihito could have dreamed of, and food was such an easy distraction. It was an all you can eat breakfast food buffet. The types of food are varied. A lot of it is Chinese food that Akihito is not very familiar with. Youtiao and soy milk, porridge and steamed buns, congee, and scallion pancakes.

The whole time the two kittens are like two peas in a pod. They gab to one another. About what they are picking out, what their favorite is, what looks particularly good.

They load their plates up with an absorbed amount of food. Their plate is so tall they have to carefully waddle back to their table and sit down.

Others join them at the large table they're sitting at. Although silence befalls the group as they happily munch away at their food. 

Fei Long watched from a distance. He’s never been happier to have Tao here. He was so good with people, and of course, he’d make instant friends with Akihito!

The other cats ask Akihito a lot of questions, although they don’t pry too much. All of their questions are very friendly. Where was he from, what breed he was, what kind of food does he like so they can talk to the chef and make his favorite dishes.

After their bellies are full, the sun is soon rising. Both Akihito and Tao are young kittens that haven’t mastered transformation yet, and so they transform into their cat forms.

At first, the two cats circle each other sniffing one another and checking each other out. The two cats kinda oddly look like each other with only some differences.

Akihito is bigger than him, but not as fully grown as Fei Long. They are both long-haired breeds, and while Akihito is a big cream-colored fluff ball. Tao is a white fluff ball with brownish ears and paws. Tao kinda looks very similar to Fei Long. Balinese are very similar to Siamese cats, they are just usually of a lighter palate coat-wise, and they are the long-haired versions of Siamese cats.

Akihito had never met other cats before, not even your everyday variety of cats. And he had never been this up close to them beforehand. He whacks him with a playful paw, and Tao whacks back. They meow back and forth at each other for a while, seemingly in conversation. They rub against each other affectionately. 

Akihito is taking in all the different scents filling his nostrils of all the different people here. There’s so much to see and take in here that he’s not preoccupied with thoughts of Asami anymore. The excitement is a natural distraction.

Tao seems to be giving Akihito a tour of the building. They walk around together. He is shown all the nicks and crannies. The two often start chasing each other and playing tag as Tao gives his tour. They climb up on furniture and look around.

Fei Long's home takes up many floors of an apartment complex. It’s a modern building, newly renovated. It has a feel like some kind of College Campus. There are dorms for everyone, It was a whole encampment of people just like them—a little under 100 people in total. There were shared bathrooms, shared kitchen spaces, a gym facility, a library, a school, a dining hall, and many open lounge space options.

There were Bengal cats, and Abyssinian, Ragdolls and Russian blues, and Korats, Himalayan cats, and Siberian. So many cats he had never seen before, just walking around. They all looked at him curiously. They’d meow and sniffed Akihito. They’d greet the newcomer nicely and with interest. Some were people who were in their human forms, would bend over and pet both kittens. 

Tao led him into one of the living rooms, and he turned on one of the TVs. Akihito had never really watched much of what he called ‘the magic moving box machine.’ But according to Tao, who explained during breakfast, it was the best thing to do.

Toa's favorite thing to watch was an animated classic. Tom and Jerry. And the two found themself sitting patiently in front of the screen watching episode upon episode. Since there wasn’t much dialogue, Akihito could follow along with the action and the funny scene. Watching the cat and mouse game, happening on screen. The two sit right next to each other and craned their little neck to watch all the fun little episodes.

Later on, someone brought in their lunch at some point, and the two ate while they watched. The two would curl up next to each other, and every so often, they'd bat paws around playfully or lick each other's fur.

They eventually moved to another channel. Tao did like cartoons. But he also had an odd love for Chinese historical dramas. For which there were many of them.

Unfortunately, all the shows were in Chinese, so Akihito didn’t understand a word. But he could make out some of the things happening while he watched. The costumes and the sceneries were so colorful and elaborate that it kept him impressed and preoccupied just as much as the funny Tom and Jerry cartoon had.

Akihito was soon thinking that the ‘moving box machine,’ otherwise known as the TV, was a magically little machine that told little stories that he could follow.

So much time had passed that when the two of them transform into their human forms. The two wrap themself up in robes. But, Akihito is beginning to have some concerns as he hadn't realized how much time had passed.

“Wait, Tao. Um, where is Asami? Fei Long said he would be here?” Akihito asks, looking around as if Asami might suddenly appear, as he had half expected him to.

Tao shrugs his should. “Who is Asami? …You should talk to Fei Long. We can make him some tea and bring it up to him. Maybe this Asami is with him?” Tao knew nothing about this ‘Asami,’ so he was only taking a wild guess.

Akihito agrees, and he hurries into the kitchen with Tao. They are given more suitable clothing, and a tray of tea is prepared. The clothing they are given are changshan styles, a silk top with a high collar, long sleeves, and made with intricate colors and printed silk. The clothes are very comfortable, they were holes for the tail, and they are not too restricting. The two help each other into their clothing.

When the tea is finally ready, Tao takes the tray in hand. “I always get the tea for Fei Long, so don’t you worry, I got it.”

They go up the elevator, and it takes them to the top floor. There are a lot more people around up here.

Was Asami up here? He couldn’t really be sure. His nose had all these new scents in it so that he couldn’t pinpoint any one scent in particular.

They turn a corner and down a hallway. Tao gestures for Akihito to open up a door, and he steps forward to open the door. The rooms up here are not as modernly decorated as the rest of the floors. The style is more traditionally Chinese interior and style, and Tao explains the top floor is Fei Longs private apartments.

“Toh, there you are! I was beginning to think you’d watch cartoons all day!” Fei Long teasingly retorts when he sees the two kittens entering.

Yoh, who is behind Fei Long, also jokingly retorts, “Your gonna melt your brain with that stuff Tao…”

“OH! But we did have a good time. Didn’t we, Akihito! We saw lots of fun things, you know. Akihito doesn’t really watch TV, so he was laughing at everything. That was very funny.”

“That little mouse is so mean though... Very clever. But mean,” Akihito narrows his eyes, thinking about that mischievous and tricky little mouse named Jerry. He sits down at one of the tables around the tea tray as a cup is poured for him.

“Akihito, How do you like it here?” Fei Long asks. He sits up and decides to plant himself next to the cat. Fei Long gently pushes away a few blond stands from the boy's field of vision. “You like it?” He questions, and he nods along with his question, inducing the boy to agree with him.

“Yes.” Akihito sits up a little bit, and a soft smile curves on his face.

“You’re having a good time, then?” Fei Long inquires more. “There’s a lot for you to do here…"

“Yes. It’s a huge place. I’ve never met so many people before. Do you collect cats, Fei Long? Where did you find so many?” Akihito curiously asks.

“Well…that a good question Akihito. Some of them were in bad situations. And it’s my job to help them get back on their feet and find their way again. I make sure they're not alone… Sometimes it hard because some cats - they don’t know they’ve even been put in a bad situation.”

Oh, Fei Long believed he was very clever with his little innuendo.

“They're…abandoned cats…” Akihito’s eyes go a little wider as he says it.

“Ugh.” Fei Long things about it, he hadn’t used the phrase abandoned. So he’s not sure where that was coming from. “Well, in some way, I guess.” It was partially true. They didn’t have family or friends. “But not totally, because well they have Me, Yoh and Tao, and everybody else here.”

“I see…” Akihito says. There's a pause, and he seemed to be dwelling on the answer. Then on a dime, he seeks to change the subject, and the boy perks up with another question on his mind. “Ummm, by the way, where is Asa-“

“Akihito? Have you ever shifted on your own?” Fei Long quickly interrupts to change to another topic of conversation. One's he knows will interest the cat, and he won’t have to answer any questions about Asami. “You’re old enough to be able to do it on your own. But you’ve never had anyone to teach you, correct?” Fei Long brushes a finger across Akihito’s cheek, and the boy’s face goes a dusty pink.

“Now. It’ll take a lot of practice to be able to master it. But it’s easier to learn when you’re in your half-way form. So look at me.” Hazel eyes meet grey eyes, and Fei Long smiles back at the boy. “See how I am human. You must think about becoming human and clear your thoughts of anything else. When you are human- what are you going to do? Maybe you are thinking about going out and buying food at a restaurant and sitting down and eating there when you are human. Maybe you are thinking about being able to see the world. You have to think about what you would like to see if you could be in the human world. Picture it - in your mind's eye.” Fei Long continues.

His voice has a kind of calming zen to it as he slowly and carefully tries to explain. Except, Akihito’s eyes get a little confused, and he tilts his head.

Fei Long stops because he sees that something is not getting through to Akihito, and he stops to look at Akihito for a little while.

“My dear. I think the problem you face - is that you haven’t had any experience in the human world. Isn’t that right?” Fei Long speaks. “You might even think you’re more cat than person?”

Fei Long is too clever not to let anything show, but he seethes a little when he says this. It only confirms in his mind that Akihito was part of the sex trafficking trade. As that is exactly how cats who are trapped in the industry feel. They are often bred and taught at young ages to believe that they are nothing more than cats. It keeps them always infantilized and docile, where their only role in life is to please their masters.

“Let me ask you honestly, what would you do if you were human all day long?” The Chinese man continues.

Akihito thinks about it. What would he do if he didn’t have ears and tail, an answer pops into his mind, and he blurts it out happily. “I-I would get to do lots of things with Asami!” He says delightedly, “It would mean I would get to spend all day with him, and he won’t have to leave me at home.”

It was not the answer Fei Long wanted to hear. But he went back to his instructions on how to transform, again trying to avoid Asami as a topic of conversation. “I think we can teach you a lot about what life is like in the outside world. There's a whole world out there, you know? And the more you learn about it. The easier and seamless transforming can become. Can you read and write?”

Fei Long was already assuming the answer would be no because educating properly would not be something traffickers would be concerned with. But he is a bit taken aback at Akihito’s very bold answer. “Yes! Grandma taught me!”

Fei Long's eyes narrow. “Is that so? Grandma? Who was that?”

“Kiko! She took care of me before Asami. I called her grandma!”

“So you have a family? Where is she now?” Fei Long pressed.

Akihito frowned, he looks down at his lap, and he fidgets with the folds of his shirt. He didn’t like having to remember this. “Kiko got…sick. She’s…not here anymore.”

“Oh. I see.”

Fei Long's mind is abuzz. His mind is already imagining scenarios. Did Asami take Akihito from somebody? Was he ripped away and told his family was dead- it was, unfortunately, a tragic story that Fei Long had become used to hearing. All he can think is that Asami is the cruelest monster. And that he will take care of Akihito far better.

“umm…” Akihito rubs his neck, as he seems to be at a loss to explain himself, “This morning you said Asami would be here, is he-“

“You know Akihito! I believe everyone is waiting downstairs in the dining hall for you. It’s almost dinner, and we are doing something very special just for you! I’m gonna wager a bet that you’ll be the most popular at dinner, and everyone will want to sit with you.” Fei Long cleverly interrupts before Akihito could finish that sentence. Everybody else seems to agree, Tao grabs Akihito by the hand, and they lift him up off the couch to lead him to the dining room.

“It's a SURPRISE!” Tao says he has a slight blush on his cheeks because he’s so excited.

Akihito gets lead along, although he’s wondering if he will see Asami there. He’s getting easily distracted by the promise of food and whatever surprise they were talking about. What if the surprise was Asami!

He’s lead to another room where he is given something very special to wear to dinner. That apparently, everyone was eager to see him in. It was the tradition in Fei Long's little ‘cat camp’ that newcomers are treated with a small get-together at dinner. And they'd wear traditional Chinese garb that they’d get to keep. Men were given beautiful long silk changshan robes on the occasion and girls a eleborate Chinese hanfu.

Fei Long had picked this out for Akihito especially. He honestly wanted to see the very pretty cat boy in a Hanfu, as the usual changshan already looked so good on him. He picked out a light pastel sea green color that went well with his eyes. And they put little dangly hair accessories in his blond hair. When he was all dressed up, he looked so pretty, and he was so delighted with the clothing.

The color and the clothing reminded Akihito a bit of the genie costume Ai had given him. But this was much more formal. 

When they all went out to the dining room, a lot of the others were dressed up. They were in their half-way forms or human forms. It was a casual little get-together, as everyone had said. Food was put out, people talked in clusters, and even some music was playing.

Akihito was a little nervous. But Tao just leads him straight to the food. Tonight's assortment of dinner was Akihito's favorite’s; the one's that he had told everyone about at breakfast that morning.

Many people came up to the newcomer, and more and more people greet him. It’s a little overwhelming, as everyone was back home, and now the dining hall is filled with the 100 or so cat people- and he was the guest of honor.

Mostly Akihito kept himself glued to Tao the entire evening, and of course, a plate of food was always nearby too. They had also made mugs of Hot Cocoa as well. In fact, as the evening dragged on, Akihito found himself with a bit of a stomach because he had probably eaten too much.

Tao guided him to one of the dorms when things had dwindled down.

“This will be your room,” Tao said, and he jumped on the bed. “I'm RIGHT down the hallway, so we are hallway buddies!” 

“M-my room?” Akihito looked around, the bed was a twin, and it was a comfortably sized room with a dresser and a desk. Bathrooms were down the hall. “Umm. This is very nice. But, where will Asami be sleeping? I usually sleep with Asami…this bed is too small for both of us.” Although the kitten was already thinking that he wouldn’t mind cuddling up to Asami on this twin size bed.

“Hmmm. I didn't know we had another newcomer? Hmmm- maybe we can put a futon down when he comes?” Tao had no idea about the situation and was just putting out suggestions.

Akihito frowns. He had partially been looking for Asami all evening at the party. Expecting the older man to sneak up from behind or something and surprise him. But it hadn’t happened. Maybe he was stuck at work. He comes back home very late at night, so maybe he wouldn’t be coming back until late tonight.

Tao helps him get out of his hanfu and into something more comfortable. “You looked so pretty in this! I think you should wear it all the time!” Tao praised.

Tao stays for a little while longer, but then he starts to yawn. It was close to his bedtime. But before bedtime, he wants to show Aki his room. And so he drags him to his bedroom down the hall.

Tao has it decorated very personally. There was posters on the wall, a line of toys, and stuffed animals around, he has polka dots sheets and fun wallpaper on the wall.

He shows Akihito an extra special drawer at the bottom of his bed. His stash!

“I have a stash in my room under my bed TOO!” Akihito claps his hands together in delight.

The drawer looked very similar to Akihito’s, a mess of random objects he took and decided to store in a special place. “I found this in the library!” Tao who’s wide-eyed with excitement about showing his most priced positions- which was half of a crystal bookend.

They both ow-ed and aeh-ed. And then Tao showed his newest edition, a brioche that Fei Long had been wearing this evening.

“Ohh! How did you get _that_!” Akihito looked at it wide-eyed and gasped.

“I stole it!” Tao said so proudly. “Um! I mean, I’m borrowing it!” He corrected himself and put it in his box.

They both giggled at each other.

Tao got into bed, and Akihito tucked the boy in. “Thank you for being a good friend Tao!”

Akihito goes back to his room and he crawled into the bed himself. After all, he had done today, he was feeling kinda tired. He had flown in a plane, met all these new friends, and had his first party. He had certainly had a good time today. He couldn’t deny that. But…where was Asami? The thought made him frown.

But Akihito doesn’t question that the man will come back later tonight as he always does. Then Akihito will tell him all about his day and all the new friends he made. But he will be sure to admonish him for being so busy.

“You haven't… forgotten about me, right?” He would ask the man.

He could picture Asami face frowning, and then he’d probably gather Akihito up and tell him, “No, No. I would never forget my kitty.” And ruffle up Akihitos head and cuddle up next to him.

The imaginary scenario made Akihito very happy, and he found himself blushing under his covers. He couldn’t wait for that to happen, so he closed his eyes contently. He didn’t like the thought of sleeping alone, but he would at least take a nap. And when he woke from his nap - Surely, Asami would be here.

__________________________________________

“I’ll have a Vodka tonic, please.”

Vodka. a Russian classic. Mikhail actually preferred a vodka brand distilled in Iceland- although he never told his associates that because it was practically traitorous NOT to buy Russian Vodka.

Mikhail was sitting in his favorite bar. A plethora of pretty girls around him. He waved the waiter away after making his orders and turned smugly to the girls around him. He had a nice pick up line on the tip of his tongue when suddenly a shadow stood in front of him and slightly blocked his lighting.

“They already took my order,” He said dismissively before even looking, assuming it was another waiter standing in front of him.

But when he turned his head, it was decidedly not a waiter standing in front of him.

Mikhail had never met Asami Ryuichi in person, but he had intel briefings about him in the past. So he knew what the man looked like. Mihail stiffened.

“Could I have a word?” Asami asked. “In private.”

What the hell was he doing here? And wearing a perfectly tailored all-black three-piece suit ensemble. He looked particularly severe at the moment. And just beyond him, Mikhail could see a behemoth blond man holding the door to the private room open.

At first, Mikhail was stunned, but he had to pull himself together quickly. “Sorry, ladies. Business calls,” He shrugged his shoulders as if to say what a shame.

They all got up and left Mikhail sitting on the sofa. Asami deposited himself on the couch across from Mikhail as the collection of girls gathered their things and left the door that Suoh was holding open. Asami lit himself a cigarette.

Once the room was all clear and it was only themselves, did Mikhail speak again? “What do I owe the pleasure…”

“…I need information, I believe you're the person to talk to.”

“You were here in Hong Kong a few days ago. I hear…meeting with Fei Long…? Is that what this is about? I'm afraid if it's information on Fei Long that you want...I've afraid I don't kiss and tell.”

“Mikheil...He took something of mine...so what's your price.”

________________________________________

Akihito's eyes flickered open when he heard a noise and the feeling of the bed sinking next to him.

“Asami!” He swiftly turned around in excitement, thinking the older man had finally made his entrance.

But it was not Asami. Instead, it was little Tao climbing into bed with him. It was dark in Akihito’s room, but he could tell it was the young boy and he could immediately sense that something was not right with him.The young boy made whining sounds in his throat as he got under the covers. 

The boy desperately reached up and hooked himself around Akihito’s neck. He was trembling.

“Tao!? Tao, what's wrong!” Akihito gripped onto the boy's back, worry creasing his brow for his new friend.

“A-Akihito…” Tao sniffled. His ears were turned down. He tried his best to get a hold of himself, and he whipped his eyes. “I-I’m s-scareddd!”

“What happened?”

“It’s the - the THUNDER Akihito! I-I don’t like it!” Tao wailed through more hot tears.

_Thunder?_

Akihito moved his head slightly and looked out the window. He hadn’t heard the rain before, but now he could hear the downpour outside his window. It was windy, and so the rain hit against the window. Although he heard no thunder at the moment.

Akihito’s memory naturally drifted back to Asami. The older man was always with him during a thunderstorm. He would come home early from the office each, and every time there was a thunderstorm. He’d pick Akihito up and take him to the secret room, and always comfort him when Akihito was scared.

He thought about the time Asami had prepared a fireworks display, to show him and teach him that loud noises weren’t so bad. After that time, he had learned he was actually beginning to be okay with thunderstorms. They weren’t as bad as he had thought.

But he still liked that Asami would dote on him, so he would _pretend_ to be scared so he could wrap himself up in the older man's arms and get lavished with attention.

A part of him couldn’t help but think about the older man now. And wondering why he wasn’t here when he actually needed him. But he couldn’t dwell on that thought because he had to think about Tao. And how scared and worried Tao was, and what he could do to comfort his friend.

He pulls the young boy closer to him and pats his head. “It’s okay, Tao. You know you came to the right person. I _used_ to be very, very scared of thunderstorms, too,” Akihito started.

He was very proud of his accomplishment of getting over thunderstorms, thanks to Asami. And he swelled in pride, thinking how much he had grown.

He continued flattering himself as he stroked his hand up and down the boy's back to soothe him. “But I’m a big boy now, and they don’t scare me as much as they used to. And really once you get used to them, they really aren’t s—“

*CCRRAAACCKKKK* The loudest boom of thunder unexpectedly roared through the room, and then there were low but loud rumblings. And even a dramatic crack of lightning that made the room lit up for a few seconds.

Akihito went wide-eyed. He gripped on to Tao as tightly as Tao gripped on to him. Both their eyes were trained on the window, and the loudest and most dramatic bout of thunder that had just came from outside.

“Ahhhhh!” They both simultaneously howled, and they dug underneath the covers. They held on to each other intensely, squeezing each other, in their moment of panic. Akihito could already feel his whole body starting to quiver with fear after that considerably terrifying pound of thunder.

After another moment of panic and the two were squirming around each other in their alarm, whining and howling at each other. But the thunder seemed to have paused. There was only the howl of the wind outside the window for now. And for the moment of calm, Akihito got a hold of himself.

He bites down on his lip. The storm seemed to be a very severe one. One that wouldn’t go away soon. There was no secret room here- at least none that Akihito had found. So what was one supposed to do in this situation?

“Tao! W-what do we do?!” The cat said. He was suddenly becoming fearful as he didn’t know what his options were, and being in this strange place suddenly flooded him with anxieties he didn’t know he had.

“I-I have an idea!” Tao spoke up, his voice hopeful.

_______________________________________________

Fei Long woke to the feeling of his king-sized bed sinking next to him.

“Huh?!” The sleepy Chinese man said, and his head perked up, and he looked around.

Tao was on one side of him, and Akihito was on the other. Both the kitten's ears were turned down in distress, and they bite their bottom lips timidly. They both made sad sounding whining noises in their throats.

There was a pause. Fei Long looked at Tao, and then turned his head and looked at Akihito. His sleepiness was not fully processing the situation. “What’s going on, you two?”

But before an answer from either one could come, he received the answer in another way-

*CCRACCKK* The thunder reverberated in the room and rumbled lowly.

The two kittens next to him, yelped and shivered. They dashed under the covers quickly and fumblingly. And then immediately pressed themselves against the older man. They squirmed and writhed in their fear and panic.

Thunder - it was an age-old fear with cats.

Fei Long dramatically sighed. “…You too. I am sorry. It’s just some thunder. You're both okay.”

Fei Long lay on his back and spread out both his arms so the two could cuddle up to him. The two both rested their heads on Fei Long's shoulder and wrapped themselves around each other and together.

The Chinese man rubbed their backs to soothe the two kittens.

“It’s alright…you can sleep with me.” He says with a hint of trepidation because he knows it’s already hard to calm one kitty down from a thunderstorm, and now there’s two.

Kittens are a handful, aren’t they…

* * *

Also, I forgot to post this before but- why I knew I had to make Fei Long a cat too. 😂

This is honestly one of my favorite little pieces of art that Sensei has posted. Little Akihito in the back always gets me 🥺 like, omg, the pout. The jealousy. The spikey hair. The toy because he wants to play. Obviously, Fei Long is gorgeous. Then, there's Asami, who is holding a tray of 'fancy' cat food- wearing an APRON because he is a cat dad. I die 😩

I also realized I haven't really posted any pictures of what I imagine Akihito to look like since way back when, which was more to show his coat color than anything. I found this little cutie online and thought I would share. It's a doll-faced Persian, just like Akihito. He is exactly color and size-wise of how I imagine Akihito in cat form.

Akihito Hanfu's. You may have noticed I have a LOVE of putting Akihito in colorful, flowy clothing, so I will take any excuse I can get: 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sad thought: Asami looking out the window, while he is making a deal with Mikhail and seeing and hearing the thunderstorm and worrying about Akihito 😭😭


	79. Chapter 79

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm here to bring some more pain 🥺 BUT I PROMISE IT WILL BE FIXED SOON
> 
> I'm trying to get something out tomorrow-apparently i have a few hours to spare while a turkey is being cooked. But we will see cause it's also easy to get distracted. but it might come out like late, late my time.
> 
> Happy Thanksgiving 💕

By some miracle, Fei Long was able to quell the two kittens. And they all fell asleep in Fei Long room- eventually.

Tao was an early riser. He liked to be up before his transformation. And most in the ‘cat camp’ held different hours. They went to bed earlier and woke up early, so those that couldn’t transform had more waking hours where they were human. They could always cat nap during the day.

So as he got up out of bed early that morning, he was still a little sleepy from all of last night's drama. The storm had cleared finally, and they had all gotten some sleep. The cat-boy pounced off the bed to go start his morning routine, leaving the two others to sleep a bit more.

Fei Long and Akihito slept next to each other on the big king mattress. Cats tend to be naturally more affectionate than their human counterparts. There was nothing particularly scandalous about the two men curling up next to each other while they slept.

It was just a natural inclination to seek a bit of warmth. But when Fei Long flickered his eyes open soon after Tao left, He was pleasantly surprised to find Akihito was all wrapped up in him. The blond's head rested on his chest, just under his chin. He lay almost half on top of Fei Long. His lithe body draped nicely across him.

Fei Long was undoubtedly attracted to the youth. He had never met an intersex of his kind before. He had only heard rumors about them. But he was learning why they're highly sought after. Their scent was highly distinct and, simply put- intoxicating.

He had only smelled a fading scent on Asami that time, but to have Akihito here right now and so close- Fei Long could only imagine how impossibly irresistible this boy would become during his heat. To cats and humans alike. He was already pretty impossible to ignore now.

And scent aside, he was an unusually pretty one with dainty features. And yet boyish and charming, and surprisingly mischievous and feisty.

His loyalty to Asami was surprising. Yes, cats often get attached to their owners. But once they started to see that their life could be different than living in servitude, they began to question their masters.

Asami must have treated him very well. Which also wasn’t completely unheard of.

Fei Long spent a moment admiring the sleeping beauty, who slept on top of him. He couldn’t help but linger on a thought that perhaps he would one day be lucky enough to call him a mate.

A finger traced the boy's cheek lightly, and it slowly woke him from his sleep.

He whined slightly as he woke and seemed to have felt Fei Long arms around him and his head shot up suddenly, “Asam-“

He sees it's clearly not who he wants, and his face falls into a frown. He sits up quickly.

“Heyy! Where is Asami?” Akihito looks at Fei Long suspiciously. “You said he would be here? But I haven’t seen him once since we got here. What's going on? Is he okay?”

Akihito finally had gotten to say his piece. And for once, there’s no distraction. He seems set on getting answers, and he wouldn’t let Fei Long slip away with another non-answer.

Fei Long sighed. He hated this part of his job, really. Being the ones to tell them the bad news, it was hard, especially with the young ones like these. But there was no way around it. He had already stretched the truth too much and tried to avoid his responsibilities.

“Akihito…I’m sorry…You’re right. He’s not here…”

It was like watching a light switch had gone off with those words. Fei Long wasn’t sure what exactly he thought his reaction was going to be, but he was surprised by this. His facial expressions fell- but they were utterly devoid of anything else. The blankness- wasdownright jarring for this usually bubbly boy.

It was like ice had filled his veins, and then in an instant, the icy wall burned into anger. His eyebrows furrowed, and hazel eyes flashed into wrath itself.

“ **WHAT**!?” The boy squawked.

“Now - Akihito, I can explain.” Fei Long brought his hands up defensively.

“I-I don’t understand. But you said! …Y-You - D-Did you lie to me!?” He says, his eyes growing wide and his voice rising.

“I know I have some explaining to do…But I can assure you I only thought of your own well-being” Fei Long's voice raised as he got defensive.

“What do you mean he’s not here? W-where is he?” Akihito plowed right on ahead. His eyes darted from side to side as if racking his brain.

“Akihito, please calm down.”

It seems like an age-old trope, you tell someone during an argument to calm down- and they only get angrier.

“Take. Me. To. Asami. Now!”

Those dainty little hands that Fei Long had just been admiring curl into a fist. And those cheeks which he had just been gently stroking puffed in irritation. His ears were pointing upwards, showing he was determined and alert.

Oh, he was definitely mad.

“Akihito. There’s no reason for you to get so angry. It's very unbecoming of you! I’m trying to explain. Let’s just sit down and have a _mature_ and honest conversation.” Fei Long didn’t intend for that to sound so condescending. He wasn’t entirely used to dealing with one so young. And his words rile Akihito even more.

“NO. I want to see Asami right now! I want to go to MY home! You will take me to him! Or you will tell him to come pick me up! I’m supposed to be with Asami!” Akihito said, growing desperate, and he swung his leg around and stood up from the mattress.

His actions have riled up Fei Long and made him defensive, and so he raised his voice, thinking he needed to take hold of this situation. 

“Asami’s NOT coming to pick you up, Akihito!” He blurts out.

Then he immediately realizes the meaning of those words, how it hints at…abandonment.

 _“They’re…abandoned cats…”_ Was Akihito’s comment from yesterday… _It had already been on his mind._

It was not at all the truth, or what Fei Long actually meant or what he’s been trying to explain.

And he sees how his words are like a shot to the heart for Akihito. Those determinedly pointed cat ears quickly drop and droop over him. His eyes drop down to the ground, and he blinks- almost dissociating from the moment.

Fei Longs not even sure why he says it. Maybe some petty part of him wants to make Asami the villain in all this and not him. He feels so justified in that- Asami is the real monster. The trafficker, the one who’s really broken Akihito’s heart. The one who bought him and was only using him.

Akihito finally responds. “Th-that’s not - not true! That- That c-can’t be -“ His voice croaks, and a sob he was trying his hardest to hold back comes out. He covers his mouth with his hand, nodding his head no.

Akihito can’t stay in that room, and he flies out and barrels down the hallway.

There’s nowhere that he knows to go. Expect Tao’s room.

The boy is in his room doing some reading that he needs to get done for school. But he drops it when he sees Akihito’s crying and distressed face.

“What’s wrong!” Tao hopes up from his desk.

Akihito, who had rushed in, just plops facedown on Tao’s bed. He buries his face into the pillow and wails and sobs. “F-Fei Long is - big- BIG MEANIE!” He says in-between sniffles. His voice is muffled as he’s still bawling into the pillow.

Akihito couldn’t believe anything he said. He tries very hard to listen to that voice in his head that reminds him of all the times Asami himself has told him and showed him that he would never do anything like this.

Except he also can’t explain why he is here, why he hasn’t seen Asami all this time. Why wasn’t he here during the thunderstorm when Akihito really needed him? He can’t help the feeling raising in him that he’s now one of these abandoned cats.

And so the tears drip down his cheek, and he feels Tao lightly stroking his back, trying to comfort him.

The sun rises in the background, and they both turn into cats. Tao stays with him, gently licking his friend's face and nudging his face against him affectionately.

_______________________________

Fei Long probably shouldn’t have let Akihito run out like that. He was starting to regret and release the hurt he had caused. But the sooner Akihito understood that Asami was not coming and that it was actually better that way- the sooner the boy could move on.

Fei Longs asks one of his men to look after Akihito. He wants to make sure he doesn’t do anything drastic.

He goes to his apartment's offices once he is dressed. He hears a report later that Akihito is refusing to eat breakfast- now he really knows he’s done it.

He sighs. He resolves himself to decide that he’ll speak to the boy later and clear the air. Once he’s calmed down a bit, surely if Akihito refuses lunch later in the day, then that will be the time to speak to him.

It’s his responsibility to explain everything a bit better- he knows Akihito deserves that.

But before he can do anything, he has to get some work done. There are more people that rely on him than just Akihito. He’s a leader of this faction of cats, the biggest collection of cats on this side of the pacific. He knows there are smaller factions in other parts of the east. But his is the most well funded and most well secured.

He is even often giving aids to other smaller communities because he knows if they are found out - a whole community could suddenly disappear by the ruthless traffickers and breeders that hunt down his people.

It’s been a tricky business keeping his people secret from the outside world- especially in this new age of technology. But he has changed a lot of the rules. He encourages his people to blend into modern society. And he has also gotten into the black market and underground trade - which provides a steady stream of money and information about traffickers - so that the hunted can become the hunters.

Fei Long's story was simply this. His birth father was a dirty politician who was involved in the sale and trade of his people. He got a young Siamese cat woman, a woman Fei Long had never gotten to know or meet, pregnant. And Fei Long was born.

He was obviously not wanted by his real father. But he was still blood - so he was spared being sent to a breeder. Instead, he was sent to another family—the Liu family, where he was raised. Fortunately, the Liu family had grown to love him as a son. Especially the man Fei Long had always known to be his father, the head of the Liu Family Clan.

It wasn’t until he was much older that he realized the human family he had been happily raised in was one of the biggest clans in Hong Kong's underworld. And later still, he found out his family was perfectly okay with selling and trading people just like him.

His brother, Yantsui- or at least, who he had always believed was his brother, took the reins of his father's underground operation when his fathers got sick. And then behind everyone's back, he started trading with traffickers to make profits.

It all came to a head when his brother's plots became known. It ended in tragedy. His father was now dead, and so too his brother. Fei Long had gone into hiding for many years until he had found a small community of cat people just like him. He wanted to right all his brother's wrongs and make Hong Kong a sanctuary.

So he got busy. He rebuilt the Baishe- it was not to its former glory, but it was doing very well.

He had found that the underworld was the best place for cats to hide in plain sight. While it also provided him with the kind of money, he needed to sustain his cat community.

As Fei Long got to work in his office, he received a call. One that he was not expecting to get.

“Um- Fei Long. There's a call for you.” One of his men came in with the phone. He was confused but took the call. Putting the receiver to his head.

“Fei Long…” A familiar baritone voice spoke from the other side of the phone.

The Chinese man is taken aback. How did Asami get this number? “Asami…” He responds back.

“Excuse me for skipping over the usual pleasantries. I’m going to keep this brief. I have some of yours that I think you’ll want back. Just as you have something of mine. So I'm proposing a trade.”

Fei Long thinks about it. _Something of mine?_ What was Asami talking about?

But then he hears someone on the other line respond. “Fei Long…Sorry, sir.”

It’s Yoh.

Fei Long closes his eyes. _Damn it._

_________________________________

The two hadn’t reached anything final. The call was short, and just a to put all cards on the table. There was something else.

Yoh had been on a mission to retrieve a deed for a casino in Macao. A deed that belonged to Fei Long’s father. It was being transferred to a different location- as it was an item with immeasurable value.

Macao is the Los Vegas of the east- and a fraction of profits made from that casino is worth millions upon millions of yearly income. Income that was mainly used to fund this very building…

The Russians had been after the deed for years.

And somehow, Asami managed to snatch it within a few days…Impressive, to say the least.

There’d be a follow-up call, where an agreement and terms would be laid out.

Fei Long was a mix of emotions. The deed was important to him, but that was just money after all… and he still had other avenues to make money.

But Yoh was…his most trusted alley and friend. But his life for another- in exchange for Akihito. It left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Why was Asami going this far anyway…

Sure Fei Long had believed he would probably be mad. He had quickly found that tracker in the boy's collar and tossed it before it could be used to find them. To put so much money in putting a customized tracker seemed to be taking it too far.

And moreover, the deed was worth quite a hefty sum. And not only that, it could secure Asami a good deal with the Russians if he gave it to them… so why?

Although in Fei Long's mind. It wasn’t that hard to see why. Akihito was obviously very special, and perhaps even Asami had seen the value in that.

His mind was abuzz with planning. He could try to turn it around on Asami. Get back Yoh, the deed, and somehow keep Akihito.

He will be the one to dictate the time and location of the trade. It would benefit him to make it take place in one of his casino cruises…trapped on a boat with land hours away in every direction…Fei Long could spring a trap?

But what about Akihito…the boy wanted to go back to Asami. But wasn't that only because he didn’t understand the situation...Fei Long would figure something out he always did.

He calls back Asami and makes the deal.

__________________________

“ _A deformed little runt, isn’t he?”It was a man's voice, and he couldn’t quite picture whose._

_From a time so long ago that he couldn’t remember anything but fuzzy pictures and foggy sensations._

_He smelled warm milk and a rough wet tongue on his forehead, cleaning him. He heard himself squeaking and meowing desperately for more of that warm milk that filled his belly._

_The feeling of other tiny bodies scampering up and on top of him. He struggled to move under their weight and trying to wrestle away. It became too much, and he couldn't escape the trampling._

_But then breathing became difficult too._

Akihito gasped awake.

He was in cat-form. Still laying on Tao’s bed. He seemed to have fallen asleep. His eyes are still puffy from crying.

His breath hitched as he remembered the dream he was just having. The muddled memory of another time... Of the first time, he was abandoned...

He digs himself deeper into the pillow, sobbing.

______________________________

“Fei Long would never truly agree...” Yoh said boldly. After Asami had hung up with Fei Long for the 2nd time.

That earned him a little smack from Suoh. He was tied to a chair, so he could only grunt in sharp pain from the gut-punch he received.

Asami sighed. “He better. Because I am not in a forgiving mood.”

Yoh coughed, recovering from his beating. “Why must you bring Akihito into this- he’s nothing but an innocent.”

Now Kirishima was about to be the one to smack him. The secretary had rejoined the two in Hong Kong early this morning. Fortunately, the bump on his head was not a concussion, and he was released early. He was eager to return to work and aid in Akihito’s safe return.

But Asami sent him a look ‘no' before answer with narrowed eyes and a fake laugh. “HA! Why must _I_ bring Akihito into this? You and Fei Long were the ones that kidnapped him? He _is_ an innocent - and you are the ones dragging him into this.” Asami replied coldly.

“Do you really think we could just stand by and let one of our own be bought and sold!” Yoh replied.

Now Asami’s eyes flashed in confusion, and he neared Yoh. “What are you talking about?”

Yoh continued with his angry rant, “How much did you pay for him? We know very well that you have dirtied your hands in the trade of our people! We weren’t just gonna sit back and let you flaunt around your _new toy!”_

“I honestly have no idea what you're talking about…” Asami answered honestly, but now building with curiosity.

Yoh looked a little thrown over Asami’s response. “Y-your gonna pretend like you don’t know! Like you know, nothing about the traders in your OWN city!” 

Asami thought about it. He hadn’t really understood why Fei Long had taken Akihito. He had thought it was simply because they were of the same species, and Fei Long wanted to take Akihito away from humans. But he is now thinking about the disdain Fei Long had for traffickers- traffickers that sold more cat people.

“You think I bought Akihito from a trader?” He asked calmly. The way Yoh's features fell told him yes. “Well, I didn’t. He is with me because a friend of mine, a former employee, found him when he was a child and raised him. And when she died, she left him to be in my care.” Yoh’s face drops even more, and Asami’s voice raises. “Until a few days ago - I thought Akihito was the only one of his kind. And you're telling me… This whole mess is because - you think I’m a trader? I kick traders out of Japan. I don’t deal in the flesh market. Anyone with any sense would tell you that!” Asami’s growing with anger as he responds.

How could such a mistake be made? It was well known in the underworld that Asami hated traffickers- and he had even said so much to Fei Long.

“W-we had proof! We have poof that traders were using one of your warehouses!” Yoh responds.

Now that was surprising, Asami and Kirishima exchanged a look.

“Thats not possible. Our warehouses are secure.” Kirishima spoke up

“I saw the paperwork myself! There was a trade at ONE of your warehouses, and the profits went through one of YOUR clubs.”

Another troubling bit of information.

There was only one-way such evidence could exist. If the documents Yoh was talking about were totally fake. Or if the documents they had at Sion were. Which could only mean one thing...

There was a traitor at Sion.


	80. Chapter 80

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 80!! 😮🥳
> 
> Sorry for the bit of delay. Thanksgiving was a bit of a stressful day, and then I ended up doing a lot of things with my sister! 
> 
> Hope everyone had a safe and nice thanksgiving 🥰
> 
> On twitter today the hash tag #catboyrevolution was trending in the US 😂😂 and i was like - ah yes i have done my part in this catboy revolution. I was doing it before it was cool 😤💕

The trade would go down on the main floor of the cruise. In full view of many people, as to dissuade any violence.

Akihito was to be brought in at a certain time, while he was in cat form so he’d be easy to transport. While simultaneously, Yoh would come out. And they’d do their exchange.

It would be a one for one trade.

Once Asami had Akihito, then the deed would be exchanged last before Asami made an exit. The timing was also everything. Asami made it so Akihito would transform soon afterward. It was to prevent them from trying anything, or delaying or holding up the deal. If Fei Long tried to prevent them from leaving Akihito would - poof transform into the naked cat boy in front of a boatload of people.

It was a careful bit of detail. It made it, so the deed became insurance and allowed Asami and his men the opportunity to leave, and go on their merry way.

Fei was keeping the situation open. It would be almost impossible to finagle out of the deal. He couldn’t keep Akihito away - as much as he may have wanted to. There was no way out of it. Akihito had to be at the deal, or else Yoh wouldn’t be returned.

So for now, Fei Long accepted that Akihito would be returning to Asami- even if a part of him was partially planning otherwise…

He’d let things play out.

Maybe Asami would give him the opportunity although it was all very perilous. Yoh and the deeded had to be in the clear. Then Akihito obviously couldn’t get caught in the crossfire, and their secret had to be protected. There were many things to jugle.

His hands felt like they were tied and there was no way out of it…

The boy had been moping all day in Tao’s room. And now Fei Long had to buck up and tell Akihito he was actually going back to Asami. Which he didn’t like…

Fei Long came into Tao's room with some of Akihito's favorite food - a peace offering. So they could talk.

But he was still mad and sulking into a pillow. Even Tao looked like he was a little miffed at Fei Long. He was giving him looks as if he was Akihito’s bodyguard.

The Chinese man sat on the edge of the bed. He reached to stroke Akihito’s back to comfort him. But the cream-colored cat smacked his hand away with his paw.

Okay… so he was _really_ still angry.

His eyes were still wet with tears, and he was curling up next to Tao.

Fei Long spoke frankly. He admitted to saying harsh things. Things he regretted. And things that he didn’t really mean to say. He also even admitted that what he said wasn’t even the “full” truth.

It wasn’t the truth at all - Asami had clearly not abandoned him. In fact, he was very _persistently_ trying to get Akihito back, but Fei Long wasn’t about to say that to Akihito.

Instead, he told the boy that he had arranged a meeting with Asami and that Akihito was to come. But he made no promises.

It had made the cat so very happy to hear. He perked up immediately. Which stung a bit in Fei Long's pride… but at least some peace was made.

Fei Long was purposely vague. In cat form, Akihito could not ask for clarification or even respond. And it was probably for the best because Fei Long wasn’t ready to tell the boy that he was part of some hostage deal.

He just had to get Akihito on the cruise ship and then put him in a kennel and exchange him back to Asami.

What happened after that. Even Fei Long was not sure…

__________________________

Akihito said some goodbye's to Tao, and they left for the cruise ship. The cat was in a better mood, but he would not sit next to Fei Long.

The whole ride, Akihito though- he’d show Fei Long. He’d show him that Asami was his and that he was Asami’s. He was pleased imagining Asami scolding Fei Long for being a big meanie.

“You’ve made my kitty cry?” Asami would say. And then he’d drop a bowling ball or an anvil on him like in Tom and Jerry. Akihito snickers lightly to himself.

When they got aboard the ship, Fei Long briefly explains that he would be going first to the meeting in the casino room with Asami. Akihito would follow shortly thereafter with one of his men, in the kennel.

Akihito had no choice but to agree. He was beginning to doubt that Fei Long was actually going to follow through. What if Fei Long was lying now and Asami wasn’t even going to be here at all.

Just as Fei Long had done in the beginning, but what could he do? So he stayed in the room with one of Fei Long’s guards.

The Chinese man got word that Asami and Yoh were getting aboard. And so he left Akihito, to prepare for what he hoped would be a brief meeting.

But what he didn’t know was that someone else was watching him leave…

__________________________________

“Why should I believe anything you say….” Asami answered dryly.

“Listen. If you just let me explain to Fei Long that you aren’t a trader, then this can all be over. He will give Akihito back…” Yoh was trying.

They had untied Yoh as they entered the cruise ship and were hearing him out.

“You don’t seem to understand Yoh. You’re the only leverage I have to get Akihito back. If I just give you away, so you can ‘explain’ to Fei Long- How do I know you won’t turn tails and betray that. As far as I am concerned, the information you told us about one of our clubs changes nothing with the deal I made with Fei Long.”

“I’m the only one that can convince Fei Long that you have nothing to do with the traffickers. Plus, you’ll still have the deed as collateral.”

“But I need both the deed and you so that Fei Long doesn’t try anything.”

“Listen to me. He will give Akihito back if he knows that Akihito is perfectly safe with you...You're saying the evidence we have is actually about a traitor thats misleading even you- Fei Long would happily pass that information to you if it meant that you would knock that trader out of business.”

Asami thinks on it.

It's not like he really needed Fei Long's help in tracking down this unknown traitor. But he did find Yoh to be genuine.

But how could he take the risk, especially with Akihito on the line? Fei Long had already crossed him. At least, with Yoh as a hostage and the deed - he had some assurances.

Would Fei Long even want to listen? The Chinese man had already made up his mind about Asami.

But perhaps there was some truth in what Yoh had said. Maybe there was still away for things to end peacefully…

______________________________

Indeed, Mikhail had implanted himself in the ship to interfere with Asami and Fei Long's deal.

In the Russian defense. He didn’t know all the facts.

He only heard whispers that went something like this; Fei Long had kidnapped _someone_ important to Asami Ryuichi. He had reasoned that was why the Japanese man had paid him a visit at the club.

Mikhail had told Asami about the deed. The price for exchanging that information earned Mikhail a shipment of guns. Although the Russian had given up that information thinking, Asami couldn't get to the deed before he'd be able to.

Mikhail had been trying to swipe that deed from Fei Long for weeks! How else was he supposed to get the pretty Chinese man to at least TALK with him?!?

But Asami swiped it, and right out from under Mikhail's nose too…

A trade would probably be made. And so the Russian had kept his ears to the ground about when and where the deal might take place.

He spied on Fei Long. He listened in on Fei Long’s radio frequencies. He soon found out that the trade would happen on Fei Long’s casino cruise ship and that hostages would be traded.

They got a name. Akihito.

Mikhail was pleased. Whoever this ‘Akihito’ was, he was important enough for Asami to go to such lengths. So they’d intercept this ‘Akihito.’

And when Fei Long left his private room, leaving this ‘Akihito’ alone with only a few other guards. It would be easy pickings.

Of course, it was risky to butt his head into this deal, especially on a ship owned by Fei Long.

But - Mikhail was just impulsive enough to do it!

The surprise intervention meant odds were in his favor.

But when they knocked out a guard outside the room and barged into the private room. Mikhail was in for a surprise of his own…

The only thing in the room was a cream-colored cat in a kennel.

Mikhail was floored. He picked up the kennel and peered inside. The cat was looking at him curiously, wondering who this new stranger was.

“Akihito?” He asked.

He briefly ponder why he was asking the cat? But then the cat responds with a flat sounding meow.

Akihito was really a **_cat_**?!?!?!?

“You mean this whole thing was about a cat?!” He said to his men.

He couldn’t believe it. His mind was blown and bewildered. At a loss for words. Had the world gone topsy-turvy? He inspected the cat once more to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

How was it possible?! He didn’t know what was worse…

The thought of the Great Asami Ryuichi, taking Yoh hostage, stealing a valuable casino deed, paying Mikhail a shipment of guns just for information about Fei Long. And all because he had gone completely murderous over a MISSING KITTEN!

Or. Was it crazier that Fei Long had stooped to cat-napping?!

Mikhail was actually finding himself a little disappointed in the Chinese man. I mean, Cat-napping a kitten, what a low blow…

He wasn’t sure if he wanted to laugh hysterically at the two men's expenses, at the utter craziness of it all. Or maybe it was all some kind of 3D chess game, and he was completely missing the beauty in it... Going after someone's pet- there was some genius in that. And yet it was also ridiculous!

He sighed and rubbed his forehead. His men looked like they were on the verge of cracking up. He looked at the little cream-colored cat.

“…Would you like to go back to Asami, little guy!” He says to the cat.

Akihito perks up at the words and starts meowing eagerly. That was exactly what he wanted!

___________________________

Asami and Fei Long’s phone both rang at the least opportune moment.

They had both just arrived at the meeting. But things were going differently than originally planned. Asami had decided to listen to Yoh. He had brought Yoh in not as a hostage but as a mediator.

They sat in one of the casino's back corners where it was slightly more private, and they were duking it out.

And they had just gotten to the good part.

Fei was still in denial. “We saw the proof, Yoh.” He said firmly, his arms crossed. 

“Asami is saying that if someone is flying under the radar even from him- Then they are his enemy too. If there is a traitor at Sion, who is a trafficker, then he will get rid of them himself. He didn’t even know there were more of us until we took Akihito.” Yoh had desperately tried.

Asami was trying - and I mean trying his hardest not to escalate the situation as much as he may have wanted to strangle someone right about now. He just sat quietly and let the two men work it out. Suoh and Kirishima were nearby, and so were some of Fei Long's men.

The scene was still tense, as the two men truly didn’t trust the other. Fei Long had refused to call his men down to get Akihito here while they talked this over, which only heightened the tension. The Chinese man still had not realized that Akihito was gone. 

Yoh finally raised his voice in annoyance. He was getting frustrated at how stubborn Fei Long was being, and trying to get him to listen.

“Fei Long, listen to me! It became very obvious to me that these three men have only taken extreme measures because they want Akihito safe and sound as much as we do! Asami is not your enemy!”

Fei Long was actually at a loss for words at that.

But then the unthinkable happens- right when progress looked like it might be made. Asami and Fei Long's phones rang almost simultaneously.

Both the men narrowed their eyes, thinking the other one had been the cause of it.

Fei Long had gotten the call first. It was from one of his men. While for Asami, a blocked number had called him.

“Yes.” They both answer almost simultaneously.

Fei Long's face fell as his men reported Akihito was taken from their private rooms.

Meanwhile, on Asami’s line. “Oh, goodie, you took my call!”

Asami’s eyes narrowed as he recognized the voice. The older man had seen how Fei Long’s face fall from his own call, and he put two and two together. He rubbed his chin and shook his head in disbelief.

“Mikhail. What did you do?” All eyes landed on Asami as he spoke. He put the call on speaker so they could all hear.

“Asami. I don’t think Fei Long will have what you want… at least not anymore. Isn't that right, Akihito?” The cream-colored cat on the other side of the line could be heard meowing animatedly. “Would you like to say hello to Asami?” Mikhail continued, and the meowing got loader as Akihito got closer to the phone.

Asami's darkened eyes landed on Fei Long. This was all his fault.

The Chinese man only seemed frozen, speechless. He had not seen this coming at all.

“Mikhail. If you hurt Akihito, you-” Asami continued.

“No! No, I would never. I’m not a cat-napper-unlike Fei Long. I was only making sure this preciously little guy is in protective custody with me.” Mikhail says playfully.

“Stop fooling around. Return Akihito, Mikhail.” Fei Long finally found his voice as he spoke irately into the phone. “I’ll not forgive you for undermining me.”

There was a pause as Mikhail had not been expecting Fei Long to be on the line. “Well, well. It looks like the Chinese beauty can speak! I was beginning to think you didn’t like me, Fei Long. Once I get the deed - I’d be happy to _negotiate_ something with you…”

Asami rolled his eyes. “I gave you what you wanted, Mikhail. Wasn’t it enough?” Asami interrupts.

“Of course. I was satisfied with the deal we made. It was _very_ generous and fair. But if I had known the information I gave you would lead you to get the deed to the casino - before I could…Well, I think you can understand that I want in on whatever deal you two are making. I can’t just sit ideally by.” Mikhail said smugly and then continued, “ I was a little surprised myself to learn that the great Asami Ryuichi was a _cat_ person- but I can understand. He is a little cutie If I do say so myse-”

“You can have the damn scrap of paper, Mikhail, just name the place.” Asami interrupted impatiently.

“Good! How about we all get together and have a nice little chat in the VIP’s room in about 30 minutes. Fei Long can come along if he wishes! I am sure we can come to some kind of agreement afterward!” He says merrily

“Wait a minute, Mikhail, no more delaying. We do the deal now-“ Asami tries to push up the deal, but he is only greeted by the click of the phone hanging up on him. He sighs while he closes his phone and puts it back in his pocket.

“That idiot! He doesn’t know anything!” Fei Long stands, growing agitated as the call ended.

“Are you happy now?…How could you let this happen, Fei Long? We don’t have 30 minutes! Akihito’s about to transform in 30 minutes!” Asami sits on the edge of his seat as he scolds the Chinese man.

He looks at his watch to confirm. Timing-wise it was almost exact, with Akihito transforming a few moments before the meeting was due to start.

“Y-Your the one that brought that idiot- Mikhail into this!” Fei Long snapped back.

“And your the one that took Akihito in the first place- for no reason! And now you’ve put him in harm's way. You do realize that Mikhail is going to change the terms of the deal as soon as Akihito transforms!” Asami growled back. He pounced up from his own chair, defending himself.

“Enough! Both of you, let's calm down. We can work together and get Akihito back.” Yoh was trying to ease the tension.

There was a pause as the two men consider Yoh’s words.

“Even if we put aside our differences and pool our resources to get Akihito back, there's not enough _time_. We don’t have the manpower on this ship to search every nick and cranny,” Asami starts calmly. The ship was just far too large to completely search with in such a small time frame.

“We can at least try…” Yoh looks around at the two other men.

The least they could do was put aside their differences. Mikhail was an outsider, and they could all agree that he shouldn’t be made aware of the cat's secret.

There was a real worry that he would either change the terms of the deal or cancel the deal altogether if he found out. He could even be in there right now, mistreating Akihito…

_____________________________

“Who’s a good kitty? Who’s a good kitty?”

Mikhail said delightedly at the little cream cat, who was now sitting next to him, getting a belly rub.

“Thats right! Good boy!” The Russian says.

Mikhail had now fully accepted the crazy. And could maybe see why a murderous rampage would be okay…especially for this little cutie.

“Awww…I might have to get a cat after this-“ He muses aloud to himself, a dumb smirk on his face.

He was in his own private room in the cruise ship, sitting on a couch and petting the playful cream-colored kitty.

Meanwhile, Akihito was completely indulging in all the belly rubs he was getting. He lay flat on his back. His paws curled in front of him, relishing in the scratches and pets he was receiving.

Akihito liked this nice man.

He hadn’t realized how much time had passed as he was enjoying himself with this new stranger.

The blond had taken Akihito out of his kennel when they arrived in the private room. Akihito took the opportunity to sniff and explore his new surroundings. He had even shared a snack with Akihito. And now Akihito was getting his belly rubbed.

Akihito even liked that this new friend had blond hair like he did.

And this new friend was promising to take him back to Asami. Akihito had even gotten to hear Asami’s voice from that tiny box machine. So that must have meant that Asami was close, and he was coming to get him.

But as he settled into this new room with his _new_ friend. He could see that the sun was low in the sky, from a small round window which was slightly ajar, as it lets in a bit of the sea air. And from there, he could see that the colors in the sky were changing as the sun got lower and lower.

He sat up on the couch. _Umm... Was this okay?_

He only thinks that Kiko had always told him not to be near strangers when he transformed. And even though this new blond friend seemed very nice, he was still a stranger to Akihito. He didn’t even know this stranger's name.

He had felt it was okay when he was with other cats. But he could tell from his scent that this blond one was not a fellow cat-like Tao or Fei Long. So was it okay for him to transform in front of him?

He sat on the couch and examined his new friend, curiously. He was also thinking about the group of men his new friend had brought with him - those guys were also all human. And they were even more strangers to Akihito... What if they saw him in his half-way form.

Akihito knew enough to know that was bad. That maybe he shouldn't be here?

The thought was actually making this little kitten begin to worry. When was Asami coming? And where was Fei Long?

He plopped down from the couch and went over to the door. He sniffed around and started to think about what to do. There were many scents around, but distinctly - in the distance. He could just make out Asami’s scent.

He was here!

Akihito whined by the door and pounced up on his hind legs, and dragged one of his paws lightly against the door. Wanting to get out of the room and go to Asami.

Mikhail sat up from the couch, “What's up, kitty? You want to see Asami? It'll be very soon now. Okay?” He said to the cat.

But Akihito whined in reply, and he batted his paw more on the door.

He wanted to go _now_.

__________________________________

At least, Asami and Fei Long could agree that Akihito needed to be found.

So, for now, they both put aside their differences and went to work to look for Mikhail.

They headed to the staff area of the ship and the security room. There were tons of floors on this huge cruise ship, but they could go through some security footage to start.

The whole ship was not lined with cameras, but perhaps it could tell some of the stories. It was a place to start. They could narrow down their options and track down Mikhail before the deal.

Mikhail wouldn’t be expecting the two of them to be working together. It was the least they could do for now, instead of just twiddling their thumbs, waiting for Mikhail to call back when Akihito transformed.

Asami and Fei Long had been watching security feed after security feed, going through the passenger manifest over and over.

Mikhail had been clever. He must have had a room onboard the ship, where he had taken Akihito. But they were no closer to finding Mikhail or Akihito.

The meeting was now another 10 minutes away- and Mikhail was likely not to leave his room until the last minute.

But there was only a little under five minutes left until sundown.

Asami was beginning to feel it was inevitable. They weren’t going to find Mikhail in time. The dumb Russian would find out about Akihito, and god knows who else. And they should be planning for what came next- potential renegotiating terms, or locking down the ship and weaseling Mikhail out of his hiding place and planning a strike to get Akihito out.

“Maybe Mikhail will listen to reason…” Yoh said in resignation.

Fei Long scoffs and slumps into his seat, “We can pray…what about all his other men who are probably on board with him. It’s gonna be a shit storm…”

“And you have no one to blame but yourself for that…” Asami snapped at Fei Long suddenly.

“You can’t really be blaming me for this!” Fei Long protested.

“If anything happens to Akihito, it’ll be on your head!”

“Enough! Please. Fighting is not going to get Akihito back! I thought we agreed to put aside all of this until we get Akihito back.” Yoh had probably stoped at least 3 arguments in the last 20 minutes since the call came in from Mikhail. He was trying his hardest to keep it together.

Asami got up from the table to pace around the room. But at least he wasn’t making another quip at Fei Long.

He placed down his phone on the table. Because there was nothing else to do, except to wait for Mikhail's call, it was bound to come in within another moment or maybe a little while afterward when the initial shock was over.

They're all looking out the big windows in one Fei Longs private rooms, watching the sundown. All of them; Asami, Fei Long, Yoh, Suoh, and Kirishima, are filled with a growing sense of dread as they watch the sun inch it way down slowly. When suddenly-

Another noise reached all their ears, and they briefly looked at each other in confusion. It was not the ringing of a phone. It would be too early for that.

But the sound of frantic scratching at the door…

…And then whining noises and then meowing.

All heads turned to the door. One of Fei Long’s men, who was by the door, quickly opened it, and a cream-colored buzzing streak bolted out and sped towards the group.

Asami barely had time to react or even breathe a sigh of relief before the cat vaulted into the air towards Asami.

Asami reached out to catch the kitty- But the kitty was no longer a kitty. Akihito transformed mid-jump, and Poof! The boy was barreling towards Asami, none of his velocity lost.

Asami caught a glimpse of animated jewel-like hazel eyes sparkling, as the cat-boy had finally found Asami all on his own. But he plummeted into the man at high speed, causing both of them to fall backward and land on the ground with a hard thud.

Asami lifts his head.

“Akihito!” They all simultaneously say!


	81. Chapter 81

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Akihito finally having enough and takes matters into his own hands 😏
> 
> UMM excuse me- 100 bookmarks 😮 y'all are crazy 😰 ❤️❤️❤️

Mikhail scooped Akihito off the floor, attempting to stop him from his incessant meows and scratches he was doing by the door. 

“What are you on about, hmm, little kitty?” Akihito meowed back at him in a squeaky little scream. “Aw. Do you want to go? But it’s not time yet? Just a little bit longer. I promise.” The Russian replied, and he turned around and sat back down on the nearby couch with the cat still in his arms. 

Akihito knew he was about to transform soon, and maybe then he could open the door and run to wherever Asami was. But he could not do that. He knew he could not be seen in his half-way form, no matter how much he wanted to see Asami. There were too many people in-between Asami and him. He would certainly be seen!

And was he even allowed to be seen by this blond man?

He was between a rock and a hard place. Wait longer, transform and then wait even longer for Asami to get him.

OR no waiting and go now.

The choice was an obvious one.

But batting his paw and whining against the door had not worked. Impatience was rising in him. Moreover, he could smell Asami’s scent. While it may be slightly faint. The more he concentrated on it, the more he could make out how far he was and in what general direction.

And as he sniffed around, he could also smell Kirishima and Suoh with him as well. And it only filled his desire to go and find them.

And with one other sniff, he could make out that Fei Long was also in the general vicinity of Asami, his scent mixing with the older man.

Akihito growled suddenly at the thought.

He looks up at Mikhail's eyes narrowed. Suddenly filled with an explosive amount of anger over all that had happened and how he was powerless to stop any of it. He hisses at the man in a warning.

“Akihito?" 

___________________________

A few of Mikhail's men were directly outside the cabin.

The deck they were on was a partially covered deck with a row of rooms down the hallway. They were having a smoke in the open air and leaning against the railing. They knew there were no cameras on this part of the ship, so they could be out in the open without fear of Fei Long potentially finding them.

They were waiting for their boss to come out so they could head to the exchange. But there was quite a bit of time before that. So they were having some downtime, taking a smoke and watching the sun start its descent down from their place on the railing.

When suddenly, the group hears a commotion from inside Mikhail’s cabin.

Hissing. Growling. Furniture being knocked over. Mikhail yelping like an idiot. A chorus of angry cat noises growing louder by the moment.

The group of men suddenly turn to each other, concern and confusion lining their features. One promptly uses their key card to unlock and open the door, and a few of them pour into the room, wondering what's happened.

It was just the opportunity Akihito was hoping for. He wiggles off the Russian's face, which he had jumped on top of to cause his disruption. He quickly darts away from Mikhail and his men, who aren't fully aware of what has happened. But before anyone can say anything, the little cream-colored cat makes a B-line for the door. He slips effortlessly under a few guard's legs while their attention is on their boss.

Mikail was in shock. The once docile little kitty he had just been petting- suddenly as if a switch had gone off, had turned into a little demon! It had jumped on his face, biting and scratching and pulling his hair. The Russian had a new scratch on his cheek, and his hair was a mess. The cat had covered his face, so when he suddenly stood up when the attacks had first started, he tripped over an end table and fell on the ground.

He was starting to sit up, and his head turned around looking for the cat, but he sees it skipping towards the front door.

He yells after it, “Stop that kitty!?”

But it's already too late as the cat has made it mostly unseen to the front door and escaping the once locked room. Mikhail stands and chases after it, pushing aside his men as he scrambles to the door.

“After that, CAT!” Mikhail says as he steps into the deck himself.

He sees the cat already halfway down the deck. And all he can think was his hopes for getting the deed is disappearing with it.

The few men who were still outside the room start chasing after the cat.

“Damn it!” Mikhail curses himself. How did he suddenly become a hallmark villain?!

_________________________

Akihito made short work of those people chasing after him.

Were they playing tag? He was winning very decisively. But he didn’t have time for them since he knew he would transforming soon, and he had to get to Asami very soon.

He was getting a little lost. He could smell Asami, but then he'd find out that actually, he was a little off because he'd on another floor or something. The little cat had to take a ride of a few elevators after he lost those people chasing after him. Some of the other cruise-goers were very surprised to be sharing an elevator with him. Some of them were trying to pick him to find his owner.

 _THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO DO._ He'd angrily think. Plus, He knew exactly (well sorta) where to go.

When people got too close because they were planning on picking him up, he’d have to either dash away or whack their hands with a hiss just to be extra careful. He didn't want another repeat, he was getting very tired of people 'trying' to take him back to Asami - but then taking too long or failing in doing so. 

The kitty was feeling a little bad to be so mean- he had especially been very mean to his new blond friend. But he was too determined and set to get to the older man. This time nothing was going to interrupt him and his goals- 

_ Ohhhh is this the food quart floor!! No--Noo!  _

Akihito waddled through a casino room where there were many people, and he almost got stepped on. He got very nervous there as he was starting to doubt he'd ever find Asami with all these smells mixed together. He tried to be careful crossing areas - but there was no zebras or green man to help guide him so he had to be very quick cutting through people's legs - 

**Crash!** A waitress with a tray of champagne trips over him! 

He had to wait a few times for a human to open up doors for him if they were closed or locked, and that had made other challenges to him. 

But through it all, he remained defiantly determined. He wasn't going to let Asami slip away.

As Asami scent was getting closer and closer, he was so excited he bolted the rest of the way. He got to a large door, which he could tell Asami was on the other side of it. And he immediately stood upon it on his hindlegs. He vigorously and frantically scratched the door with his claws. He knew he was scratching so much that he was creating marks on the solid door. 

His little squeaky voice raised up and he meowed and meowed. He whined and growled, desperately hoping someone would quickly come to the door. Hoping someone was hearing him plead, and when they finally had. 

He hadn’t even been keeping track of time or when he would be transformed. So how he did not expect to transform mid-jump - Nah mid-tackle.

He didn’t even care that there were others in the room.

He was too much in a feverish glee to care.

He had finally found Asami, and this time he had done it all on his own. This time he hadn’t gotten completely lost or strayed from his mission! 

This time he was going to stay with Asami.

__________________________

*THUD*

“Akihito!” The whole room said aloud when they had finally processed the events.

The boy is already nuzzling his face into Asami’s neckline. He hadn’t even realized how stressed and scared he had been while running around the huge cruise ship trying to find the man. It was like a weight had been lifted from him.

“Asami!…W-where have you been? Why didn’t you come sooner?”Tears he hadn’t realized he had been holding swell in his eyes. “I was waiting!” He clings to the man's suit, pulling on his jacket.

Asami sits up, recognizing Akihito’s stress. He scoops the boy into his arms and uses his hand to presses the blond head against his chest. He lets the boy have at it with a little crying on his suit.

Asami turns his head to giving Fei Long a seething look on his face- just to remind the Chinese man he’s still pissed. Afterward, he speaks to Akihito.

“Akihito….I was looking all over for you.” He presses him into a closer embrace, so their cheek to cheek. “But you found me all on your own, I was so worried.”

Suoh and Kirishima, who had been just as worried about Akihito as Asami was, head over to the two on the ground. Suoh removes his coat jacket and quickly moves to cover the butt-naked boy. And to also help the two get up from the ground.

It’s all made only a little bit difficult by the tear-filled boy, who refuses to let go of Asami for fear that he will somehow lose him again. Asami has to aid in wrapping the jacket around him. Once the oversized coat is on him, he wraps his skinny arms around Asami's neck, where they will stay for quite some time.

Akihito's still sniffling when he mutters under his breathe, "I want to go home with Asami..." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Akihito clearly had a lot of pent up anger so we are really sorry he scared Mikhail 😂


	82. Chapter 82

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for being away for a while. I kept trying to finish this but it just wasn't happening. Working on some other things, too so I hope that will be out soon too.
> 
> This one is PURE CHOAS and SILLINESS - brought to you by an idea AsamiKun and heth_the_kurisumasu_neko had that I thought I would write it.

Asami nuzzles into the boy's neckline, taking in his warmth and scent. He’s silently breathing a sigh of relief.

Perhaps some little part of him thought maybe Akihito would want to stay with people like him. That some form of kinship would be a stronger pull to Akihito than whatever it was, they had. Or even some thought that Akihito would believe whatever poison Fei Long might have told him.

He wants to go home too.

He looks briefly at Fei Long, who’s currently casting his eyes down. He’s wondering if the man will let them pass without a problem. But now another matter seems to press at him. Mikhail is still aboard the ship…

“Akihito, how did you get here? What happened to - to Mikhail?” He asks.

“Um. Do you mean new blond friend?” Akihito asks as he still presses his head against Asami’s chest.

“Ugh. Yes, What happened?”

“Asami!” Akihito suddenly perks up and looks up at Asami. “I think- I think that man was not telling the TRUTH! H-he said he would take me to you, but he was taking so looonnng!! I do not think he was going to do it! And- And Also!” The boy was still sniffling, but then his face goes red with anger as he talked wildly about his experiences. “Fei Long also is big LIAR! H-he said you _left me_ and you weren’t ever coming back- b-but I-I knew you wouldn’t and -“

"You told him- What?" Asami hisses at Fei Long. It was the posion he was worried about. 

“Akihito...” Fei Long finally stood up. He made his presence known to the boy who clearly had not even seen him.

Akihito spun his head around, arms still wrapped around Asami, and he did the best scowl face he could muster. Fei Long signed wearily but continued.

“Akihito…It seems this was all one big misunderstanding…one that I…took too far and…I-I’m very sorry for it. I hope you can forgive me for it.” For once, Fei Long was actually sincere. He wasn’t used to having to apologize. He knows his intentions were in the right place, but he ended up very much in the wrong.

Akihito's cheeks puff in annoyance, and he turns his head in the opposite direction, effectively giving Fei Long the cold shoulder with a huff. Asami’s face turns a little smug at Akihito’s loyalty to him. He shares the look with Fei Long just to rub it in.

“But how did you get away from Mikhail?” Fei Long decides to press, ignoring the look he was receiving from Asami. It must have been a big mistake on Mikhail's fault to let Akihito escape.

Akihito thinks back to attacking Mikhail's face, “Ummm….I-I snuck out…” He says the half-truth. “They were chasing me. But I’m faster.”

Just then, one of Fei Long's men enters in on the scene. “Fei Long, sir. We can spot Mikhail on our cameras. He and what look like a few of his men seem to be looking around the ship. They must be looking for Akihito.”

“Mikhail probably doesn’t know that Akihito’s back with us. He might try to search the whole ship, trying to look for him…Akihito and I are leaving. If you really want to make things right, Fei Long, then _you_ need to help cover our escape and deal with Mikhail.” Asami says.

“We can give Akihito some clothing to cover him up so you can head back to your ship thats docked here,” Yoh speaks up. He gives a look to Fei Long. “Distracting Mikhail is the _least_ we can do.” He says effectively agree with Asami. Fei Long's shoulders slump as he realizes he’ll have to do what Yoh has suggested. He gives a reluctant nod.

They get some proper clothes for Akihito. Of course, everything they find is a bit mismatched and oversized for him- but it’ll have to do. They give him a big hat to stuff his ears in to and a boat that’ll cover his tail.

“We’ll go and round up Mikhail and some of his men. You should start heading over to the boat.” Yoh says as they're ready to go. But before they're about to go, Yoh has a moment where he gets to say his goodbyes to Akihito.

The blond is holding on to Asami’s hand as if his life depends on it and hasn’t let go. It had even taken even some haggling to get him to let go of the man and put some clothes on.

“Akihito. I’m sorry about all thats happened. And I know Fei Long feels very guilty about dragging you into all this. But please know that Fei Long’s intentions were good. He never meant to hurt you. Please don’t hold it against him…I’m glad we got to meet, though, and I wish you the best.”

Akihito cast his eyes down and bits his lower lip, suddenly feeling bad for treating Fei Long so rudely. “Thank you, Yoh..” He says sheepishly.

Yoh smiles and turns his attention to Asami, “You can expect that information we talked about before. You can call on us if you wish to have some assistance in cleaning that mess up. We can keep our secret unexposed if you know what I mean. I’ve given my line to your secretary if you would like to be in communication in the future.”

Yoh was a smart one, knowing it was good to have someone like Asami becoming an ally in all this and not burning bridges. They could offer at least some assistance in dealing with whatever traitor there was at Sion. If Asami could utilize Fei Long's men to aid in the cleanup, their secret wouldn't be exposed to Asami's own men. Asami nods understandingly.

The two head out towards their ship, Suoh and Kirishima follow closely behind. They need to take an elevator and cross a few main hallways to get to where their ship is docked.

________________________________ 

Mikhail had quickly fallen into desperation. Their work would amount to nothing since that little demon kitty had runoff.

They had tried to look for it. His men had spread out looking for Asami, Fei Long, or the cat. But soon, the meeting was to take place, and neither Fei Long's men nor Asami's had shown to the meetup. It told Mikhail they either knew he no longer had Akihito, or they already had Akihito.

Mikhail and his men are only thinking the cat must have been spotted on Fei Long’s cameras and got picked up, and the original deal Asami and Fei Long had must be back on. He wasn’t really sure.All he knew was that his men had to regroup and quickly get out of here. He was already hearing that some of his men were getting picked up by some of Fei Long's goons. Those men might have also been the ones to tell Fei Long that the cat was no longer in Mikhail's possession.

He and a few of his men are waiting in one of the major halls in the cruise ship, waiting for two other men to appear so they can leave with his tail between his legs, but at least with his hide still intact.

The hall they are in has high ceilings, and the glass elevators are going up and down above them. He’s looking around the place, trying to see if he spots his missing men, who should be coming down soon. But as he does so, his eyes catches something.

In one of the elevators going down is Asami Ryuichi. Unmistakeable. And right next to him is some petite stranger. It doesn’t look like one of his other guards next to him. He's far too short and skinny to be one of the guards. The stranger is wearing some strange clothing for a cruise ship, a cap over his head, and an oversized coat.

The stranger stands out next to Asami's and those two security guards Asami keeps around. He’s looking out the glass elevator childishly, pressing himself against the railing and looking down to everyone below in awe.

Mikhail is looking at the strange boy next to Asami. A bit transfixed because there is something about him that is very familiar and yet not at all. For a moment, their eyes seem to meet as the elevator goes down. The boy seems to see him, and waves at him excitedly and points at him for Asami next to him to see.

Mikhail’s very confused. Did they know each other?

But just before they disappear, and the elevator goes past them and down to the lower levels of the ship, Mikhail sees a puff of blond hair under his hat.

No, not blond. Cream-colored.

Mikhail shudders.

_What the hell is going on here?_

But before he can form any real thought on that. Or even yell at his men to run to the elevator and follow them, he’s stopped because Fei Long and his men are suddenly surrounding him.

“Don’t make this any harder than it already is. Mikhail.” Fei Long, who suddenly appears in front of him with his arms are crossed, says to Mikhail. The Chinese man looks like he is in no mood to be questioned today.

Mikhail shakes off whatever shock he was in from seeing that strange boy in the elevator with Asami. It's not like he could say anything for certain about it. “Great. I thought I had a little while longer…” He scoffs playfully. “Are you in charge of handling me now? I do hope you handle me a little gently since we’re still good friends, right?” Mikhail grins.

“Just move along, and don’t try anything, Mikhail. I’m very angry with you.”

Fei Long's team of men escort Mikhail and his men to where the security rooms are.

“Really, Mikhail. I can’t believe you’d interfere in something like this. I can’t forgive you for trying to go against me like this.” Fei Long continues as he brings Mikhail along.

“I’m just shocked that you’d stoop as low as cat-napping. I mean. Obviously, I also stooped that low, too. So we’re in it together. You know, I have to ask. How did you rein in that kitty, by the way, it was a little devil.”

“Is that how you got that scratch on you.” Fei Long scoffs. He can’t help but grin a bit at Mikhail's misfortune when he also has experience with Akihito’s temper.

Mikhail dabs his cheek where the scratch is still there, although no longer bleeding. “Hey now. Could you not laugh at me? He jumped on my face Fei Long and then he escaped! He’s like a little face sucker or something. I felt like some kind of hallmark villain or something chasing after him.” Mikhail is slightly annoyed, knowing he must sound like an idiot. But he can’t help but be slightly happy that Fei Long is smiling at him- even if he is poking fun at him.

Fei Long nods disapprovingly. “Well, I hope you learned your lesson. Stay away from that cat, and Asami for that matter….”

“Oh, I see. You must have gotten quite a scolding from Asami…I am a little surprised he’d go all crazy for a kitty. But I don’t know. I guess some people love their animals, I guess. Were you trying to get a ransom out of it or something? But then he turns around and steals your deed.” Mikhail said teasingly.

“Shut it, Mikhail.” Fei Long says, not wanting to hear it from him.

They get into one of their back rooms, and Mikhail is separated from his men.

“What are you going to do to them?” He asks as he is pushed into a metal chair by one of Fei Long’s men, who then leaves the two alone in what appears to be an interrogation room.

“Nothing. We’ll let them go after they’ve received a small beating for their rudeness. I think thats pretty fair considering what you tried to do. And as for you…” His eyes fall lethally on to Mikhail. “You said you wanted a deal. So what are you going to give me, so I don’t keep you as a prisoner for what you’ve done.” Fei Long sits across from Mikhail, still a look of displeasure on his face.

Mikhail scoffs. “You can’t be serious. I see. So since your deal with Asami didn’t end up the way you wanted, you need to get something out of me! Very unfair Fei Long.”

“It’s nothing personal, Mikhail. It’s just business.”

“Was it _just business_ last weekend….hmmm? You know I got very jealous when you didn’t call me back, and then you had that meeting with Asami… I mean Fei - my feelings were a little hurt.” Mikhail teases.

Fei Long rolls his eyes. “That was a mistake. A mistake which won’t happen again.” He sits up from his seat and starts pacing the room nervously. “Quit you're flirting, Mikhail. It’s making me feel nauseous.”

He was oddly feeling a little light-headed and nauseous. He had chalked it up to being around Mikhail…But he was starting to think, being blamed by everyone. Akihito being mad at him, and Asami rubbing it in his face. Even Yoh seemed a little unhappy with him. He had just made a little mistake… and everyone was taking it so bad. No harm was done. It was Mikhail's fault for getting involved. Everything would have been fine.

He signed. And now he had to deal with Mikhail being all flirty and annoying. Why was he still talking about what had happened last week…

But then it hits him like a dumbbell. He hadn’t transformed for a long time and all this….this stress was maybe starting to get to him.

_Ugh oh._

POOF.

“Fei Long!” Mikhail shoots out of his seat when the man in front of him seemingly disappeared before his very eyes.

He looks down where he sees a pile of clothing on the ground, and it’s moving. And out of the pile, a cat's head peaks out. Not just any cat, a Siamese cat pops out from under it. It has a pretty angry looking face on, and it growls to itself. Mikhail picks up the cat and looks at it.

Angry looking grey eyes look back at him- very familiar angry looking grey eyes that is.

“F-FEI LONG! Y-you turned into a CAT!” He looks right and left, “W-What, do I do!?”

Things are suddenly clicking in Mikhail’s head. He is also starting to remember the blond boy in the elevator with Asami.

 _"_ It’s not real. I-it can’t be real?! Mikhail says, “This- This isn’t happening.” He drops the cat, and he’s shaking his head profusely. “No. No, this can’t be happening. This is all some crazy dream, right?!” His breathe hitches unevenly.

He’s shocked. His eyes suddenly roll back into his head, and he falls over backward like a tree. Fainting in shock.

Fei Long signs.

_Idiot._


	83. Chapter 83

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helloo again! 
> 
> It took so much longer than anticipated to finish this up. 
> 
> I don't know if other writers can attest to this but you know when you read OTHER people's fics or other works that are just like so damn good. and it makes you feel like GOD i could never and it puts u in this rut for a few days where ur just comparing urself 🙃 even thou you know that's not helpful. 
> 
> Also, my sleeping schedule is like so crazy these days and I've been trying to go to bed earlier (emphasis on trying 😅) 
> 
> Christmas coming up 🎄 I guess I have to do a Christmas special 🤔 What would be a nice Christmas present 🎁🎁  
> Option 1: Regular Christmas theme episode 😇🎄  
> Option 2: Part two of Halloween special but Christmas-ie 🤔😍  
> Option 3: First chapter of a new shifter series 😛💕  
> Option 4: All of the above 😳😳 (I will regret this later when I am cramming to post it all 🙈)

Akihito hadn’t let go of Asami’s hand.

As they walked to the boat together, Akihito following closely behind. If Asami even walked too fast and somehow became considered out of the radar of the boy's immediate grasp- even while they held hands. He’d jerk Asami back and give him a desperate look.

They had to take an hour-long boat trip back to Hong Kong, where Asami’s charter plane was already ready for them. They sit outside for a bit, getting some of the air, as their charter boat begins to speed away. As soon as they're far enough away from the cruise ship does everybody breath a little easier.

Asami takes the boy downstairs to the cabin of the boat. They settled into the sofas there. Akihito goes right back to gluing his lithe body to Asami’s chest and wrapping his willowy arms around his neck. Asami gathers the boy quickly into his lap.

The boy reciprocated by dropping his head on Asami’s shoulder and nuzzling into his neck. He purred and purred resonantly while he burrowed himself into the man's neckline. He had never purred so loudly before.

Asami wrapped his arms around him and nestled into him as well. He gives the cat a moment to settle down slightly. Before he brings up his chin so he could look him dead in the eye, and in all seriousness say;

“Did he hurt you? Are you hurt anywhere?” Golden eyes search hazel ones, and Akihito nodded meekly, no. “Did he do anything to you?” Asami was ready to turn this ship around and strangle Fei Long himself if the answer was yes. But the boy only meekly nodded no again. “Let me see.”

He doesn’t even recognize greediness in his tone when he says those words.

The boy's clothes seem to just melt away after that as Asami just went on fully possessive autopilot mode. He _needed_ to look at his skin and hold him in his hands. To make sure he was okay. He practically inspected every inch of the boy's skin, looking for any blemishes or bruises, on his skinny wrist and slender ankles, or on his neck or back.

He hadn’t seen anything in the few moments after he had transformed when he had exposed himself or anything after, like when they were putting clothes on him. But Asami checked, all the same, just to make sure he had been thorough.

When he saw nothing and Akihito was looking on at him with worried eyes, because he had been yanking his arms up and down, turning him over in search of any troubling signs.

Asami was finally satisfied that nothing had happened and that his lovely boy had been left unmarred. He breathes a sigh of relief.

He straightens the boy upright on his lap. His attention shifting from worrying about any physical kind of trauma to the emotional kinda.

“Akihito…Whatever he said, it’s not the truth. He snatched you away from me.” Asami says as he holds eye contact with the boy and caresses his cheek. “He kept me away from you. I thought I lost you.”

Of course, Asami had noticed how Akihito had not let go. How his brow lined with worry if Asami was not within immediate grabbing radius, as if Asami would suddenly bolt and run away if Akihito was not careful enough.

He remembers Akihito saying that Fei Long had told him some nonsense that Asami had ‘left him’, and the thought makes his blood curdle. Akihito already had pretty bad separation anxiety as it was, and it was looking like Fei Long had inadvertently hit the right trigger.

Just then, the boy does something surprising. He sits up slightly and swings a leg around so he's straddling the man's hips. He nestled his face on Asami’s shoulder, so they were cheek to cheek.

“I-I knew you would come.” He says in barely a whisper.

Asami wraps a warm hand around his back and strokes down to his lower back and hips. “I’ve got you now. You don’t have to hold on so tightly, y’know, I’m not going anywhere.”

There’s a pause as Akihito doesn’t respond.

Asami signs and scoops Akihito’s chin up to look at him. He sweeps his thumb across the jawline. “You need lots of reminding, don’t you…”

__________________________________________

Cat ears drooped down. Fangs sticking out of a mouth which is broken open with cries and whimpers. Big hazel eyes are wet with tears. Two slender legs are wrapped around Asami's hips.

“Ahh-sammmii,” The cat-boy wails.

He has Akihito back pressed against a wall while he is non to gently ploughing the boy.

Asami knows he’s being little rough, but the boy's mind needs to be occupied with _other_ thoughts. And plus. Bonus points will be awarded if he knocks the poor boy unconscious- so that they can jump over the hurdle of traveling while Akihito is so deeply anxious and impatient.

The legs around Asami's hips were hooked by the knee, spreading him wide. Akihito had to hold on to Asami’s shoulders for support, which he was desperately scraping and scratching to keep himself upwards and balanced against the wall.

Akihito’s back was forced to arch into every press and roll of the hip. His puckered hole was burning from the stretch, which had already produced the sting of tears in his eyes. 

“Kitten. Look at me.”

Wet hazel eyes meet him, and Asami nods reassuringly at him while his whines and pants grow. He’s silently letting him know that he’s got this. To trust him and just let go.

He captures the blond's lips and coaxes him into deepening the kiss with a soothing and warm tongue. Akihito moans into the mouth and then pulls away.

“I’m- I'm” Akihito was too needy to form sentences.

“Not yet,”

He picks up his pace. He thrusts harder and faster than before, and their skin slaps between them. He repositions one of Akihito’s slender legs so that it draped across his shoulder- that feline flexibly had its moments. With the free hand he now has, he fisted the boys leaking cock, edging him closer and closer to release.

‘MhhhmmhGG!” Akihito moans fill the room obscenely, and he rolls his head back as he shudders like a tidal wave. His cum paints both their chest.

But Asami’s still thrusting into the oversensitive hole until the older has a release of his own and buries it deep inside the boy.

For a moment, they both collect themselves after their dual climax. Akihito rests his head against the wall. He can’t help but feel a bit like jello. While Asami is kissing and suckling on his neck, he licks up to his face and brushes away salty tears.

He hooked the boy's legs back to his hips, and then he walks over to the sofa while they are still connected. He lowered Akihito down on the sofas and collected his lips up in a demanding kiss.

Akihito whines. He's overstimulated, and this hole feels oversensitive. He all goopy with cum sticking around his body, and it's dripping in between his thighs too.

But Asami’s uncaring of that, as his hands, start to pinch and scrape against his skin. Rosy nipples are twisted and pinched, and Akihito squeaks.

“N-no. I can’t. It’s-“ Akihito mewls.

Asami doesn’t give him a chance to fully recover before he starts to pound into him again. Asami still hard, and he careens through the oversensitivity with a quick and deep pace. Akihito moans and bashes his head around, it feels like every nerve end is on fire.

“You can, Akihito. Take it. Take what I give you.” Asami growls back. He bites down on his neck and kisses while he sweeps the cat away.

_____________________________________

An hour later, they’re docking in Hong Kong, and there's a team of men waiting to take the four to the airfield.

The door to the cabin opens, and Asami emerges carefully carrying a snoring bundle wrapped up in a jacket. His head and cat ears are wrapped under the jacket, and so is his tail—only bare milky leg peek out wearing oversized wool socks.

And none of the guards, who are waiting by the docks say a word as the bundle gets gently dropped into the back seat of the limo. However, a few of his men's eyes flashed in surprise.

Asami was soon following into the car himself, and he resettled the bundle on his lap as the car pulled away towards the airfield.

_Akihito is coming back with me…_

_______________________________________________

Akihito stirred a bit, waking slightly from his slumber because he felt like he was moving.

“Mhmm…” He hummed, not even opening his eyes. “..Sami…” he said sleepily as he could smell the man near him. In fact, he was being carried by him, bridal style. And Akihito feels the warmth against his chest and the hand on his back.

He hadn’t opened his eyes yet to see where he was as he was still very sleepy. But he hears Asami hum in response. Then he’s lowered down on a soft surface, and the warm hands that had been around him and the warm chest next to him slip away, and he whines at the loss.

He lifts sleepy hands up to try to find them again, and his eyes flash open in a sleepy haze. It’s dark, and at first, he doesn’t know where he is. 

“Asami!” He sits up, startled, reaching out to Asami. The man is not far, just across the room.

They’re at the apartment already. In the bedroom and Akihito flashes his head around in surprise.

“Were home already!” The blond declares.

Asami comes back to the bed and sits on the side. His tie and jacket have already been remove, and a few buttons are loose on his collar. It’s still dark outside and probably some time after midnight. He brushes the boy's cheek and rubs against his sleepy eyes.

“You were out like a light…” Asami reported, he suddenly produces a bag with tissue paper.

And out from it - a new red collar.

This time with some special _enhancements_ to it. A GPS satellite tracker with real-time updates that was connected to his smartphone.

Why the older man hadn’t thought of that before all this happened was beyond him…

Hazel's eyes seem to sparkle as the collar is put around his slender neck, and a contented smile curls on his face.

“To replace the one that Fei Long took…” Asami says as he hooks it around the boy.

It’s so clearly exactly what the boy needed.

Asami could imagine how the missing collar around his neck must have in some way given some credence to Fei Long's lies. As if it was proof that Asami had discarded him or something…

Which is why, the spare one Asami already had on hand at the apartment was outfitted with the tracker before they had even gotten out of Hong Kong's air space. The collar returning to his neck was a small gesture. But it would certainly stem the tied of some of his anxieties.

Once it's fitted around him nicely, Akihito rubs his neck, and he clasps it around his neck. His eyes go a little wide and sad as if realizing the significance of having it back on.

He springs up and wraps his arms around Asami’s neck. Asami responds by leaning back slightly, so they're curved just right into each other. He hooks his arms around the boy and cradles his blond hair from behind, ruffling his hair slightly. He pecks a spot on his forehead.

“…As if you’d ever belong to anyone else, my sweet Akihito…”


	84. Christmas Extra

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this is what I decided to do.... 
> 
> All of the above 🥰 (As if you had any doubt that I wouldn't deliver!) 
> 
> it'll come (Hopefully 🤞) before New Year. This is the regular Christmas extra, PART two of the Halloween Extra (which will be holiday-themed) will come probably, later on, this week. And then I will probably post the first chapter of the new Shifter series on new Year or earlier. 
> 
> I'm also thinking of making new years extra too but it will probably be very short.  
> (ME: 🙃 why would I do this to myself, but I just keep thinking of cute ideas that I have to share🙈 🤣)
> 
> This episode came with a little suggestion from Heth_the_kurisumasu_neko, Thanks 😊
> 
> enjoy ❤️ 
> 
> Happy Holidays 🎄 Stay safe and healthy everyone 😷

Sakura Nakano, the receptionist on the executive floors, was looking forward to the holiday season.

Sion always gave good holiday breaks, and of course, a nice holiday bonus for the new year.

It wasn’t exactly that Christmas was much celebrated in Japan. But most people treated it as the start of the Holiday season which cumulated on New Years', the most important national holiday.

But Christmas was a time for holiday parties, gift exchange, decorations, and dinner with your loved ones. But here at Sion, it meant the annual Christmas party.

For the five years Sakura had worked here, she had never much cared for the Christmas parties hosted by Sion. Despite the fact, they had always been very nice events as one should expect. Sion had a reputation for hosting great parties. The Christmas party was hosted at one of the many hotels owned and operated by Sion, set in a lovely ballroom.

The party was usually black tie and would go on until late into the night. But this year, they decided to do an earlier party—a luncheon and cocktail party for mid-day.

For once, this year, it would be different. This year everyone was actually excited to come because a very special guest was coming this year as well. And it was going to make it all the more merrier.

This year a four-legged friend would be making an appearance at the Christmas party.

Everyone at the Akihito fan club was losing their minds about it because it was an opportunity to pet and take pictures with the kitty. And for most in the Akihito fan club, that was a rarity and a treat, as only Sakura had ever had the honor of petting Akihito.

For the holiday, the fan club had come together and gotten a few things. One member had knitted Akihito a red and white Christmas sweater with snowflakes on it. And they had voted to either get a Christmas hat for him or Reindeer antlers.

Reindeer antlers had been the clear winner.

Sakura got all the things together, and she had dropped them off at Asami's office and given the little bag of things to Suoh the day before the Christmas party.

She herself had decided to go all out for the Christmas party and bought this floor-length golden velvet number for the party and was getting her hair done specially for the event. Everyone always got very dressed up for these event because it was an opportunity to show off to the bosses, and maybe even meet other people from different departments.

After getting all dolled up for it, she hitched a ride with some friends. Others from the Akihito fan club, who were all going together. They arrived at the party fashionable late while things were just starting to get into the swing.

Asami was greeting guests at the front door, looking his usual handsome self. He wore a black tux with velvet lapels. It was hard NOT to admire the man's handsome features.

The girls in her group were all gossiping behind her about how good he looked. Even though he had a reputation for being strict, and some people thought he looked a little scary looking. It was hard to deny the man was very good looking.

Asami had often been the subject of office gossip.

They often talked about his private life, as that was sometimes in the tabloids. A supermodel was usual on his arm. But this year he seemed to forgo a date with a pretty lady.

Some people said awful things about him, although never anyone who actually worked at Sion said such awful rumors. But often when Sakura met people at parties, and when her work became the topic of conversation. People would say the most outlandish things, like;

“Do you know your boss is a black market smuggler?”

Ridiculous. One time someone else had chimed in and said, “No, Asami’s actually not a smuggler. He’s probably a government spy.”

Yes, it was true that Asami could sometimes look very severe, and the two large men always behind him made people on edge. But Kirishima was just your average secretary. And Suoh _was_ unusually large and bulky. But he was also just a regular bodyguard and very nice to boot.

Anyway, just before their group was about to go inside, they see Akihito. He’s wearing the little reindeer antler headband and the knitted sweater. The group practically all squeal and head over to him, where he is sitting under Kirishima. He has his little red bell collar on that he always wears, and he is also wearing the harness and leash.

As soon as the cat sees the group, he sits up and walks over to them as far as the leash will take him, tugging on the leash. His hazel eyes buzzing with excitement. Kirishima walks him towards the group, and the cat plops down at their feet and rolls around seeking pets.

They all indulge the little kitty and pet him. For some in the group, it's the first time being close to him, and so they’re very excited, and they snap pictures and pet him.

Asami comes up from behind them. “Thank you all for your gifts,” Asami comments on politely. Sakura sees how Asami is beaming, looking at the kitty below him.

Uh. A Cat Dad. That really made the heart swoon.

____________________________

Akihito groaned. Was he gonna be on a leash the whole evening?

He had been pulling on the leash all evening but Kirishima kept him close. What had the secretary said in the car. “Be on your best behavior, and stay close.”

Asami was preoccupied with guests, and Suoh was in charge of security, and so Kirishima was with him tonight. But Akihito wanted to go there, and over there by the tree, and OH- definitely he wanted to go over there where the lighters were. And also over there where the food was.

At least he liked his little Christmas costume. It was making him feel very festive. Although the antler headband was starting to be a little annoying and so he scratched his head to wiggle it off.

The glasses secretary picked up the discarded reindeer antlers. “Is it bothering you? You can take it off for a while. What about the sweater?” He asks as he kneels down to talk to the cat.

The sweater was fine, but he wanted the leash off. Akihito doesn’t say anything else, though, and just sits back down.

The sweater actually reminded him of some holidays with Kiko. Kiko used to wrap him up in sweaters like this during the cold winters in Hokkaido. All this holiday stuff made him want to roll up next to a fire, take a nap, and perhaps have a helping of hot cocoa.

Going to a party was not exactly what he thought he’d be doing. All the strange people around and smells mixing with smell were a little overwhelming. He noticed he had gotten slightly wearier of strangers since the Fei Long incident. He didn’t want to be swiped away again and be separated from Asami.

But if he was going to go to parties… he didn’t want to be in the same corner either. He wanted to explore, but it seemed like Kirishima had been tasked with baby siting him. And while he had gotten a slew of visitors - the reception lady who he liked and a few other nice people who had stopped to pet him. Now he wasn’t getting many visitors.

He lifted up on his hind legs and leaned against the secretary's leg wanting to be picked up. He had a sudden idea….

Kirishima obliged and picked up the cat and put him against his chest, thinking he wanted to get a better look at all the decoration. Once he was up higher, Akihito did get a better look, and he could see all the Christmas decorations, the lights hanging from the ceiling, garlands hanging from the wall, the big tree in the center.

But then he craned his neck and batted his paw towards a nearby table, saying he wanted to go there. Kirishima saw no problem with putting him down on the table. It didn’t have food on it or drinks, so he placed the cat gently down on the table.

Akihito had to choose his time wisely. So once he was placed down on the table, he just sat down and started grooming himself. Licking at his paws and looking around so Kirishima would let his guard down. Which he did, and the secretary looked away for only a few seconds while he also looked around the room.

That was when Akihito made his move.

He pounced down the table. Of course, the trick was that he pounced down on the OTHER side of the table.

Yanking the leash and Kirishima along with him. The sudden movement caught Kirishima off guard, and he was jerked forward and fell forward against the table. The cat dragged him along as he bolted away. Kirishima had to let go of the leash, or else he would have taken the table down with him.

Akihito jolted away, the leash trailing behind him. He only heard Kirishima's shocked yelp as he was pushed against the table. The secretary called after him as Akihito zig-zagged through the crowd of people.

But at last, he was free to explore!

Sure his leash was getting stepped on sometimes, but most people just let him be. He sniffed around until he ended up right underneath one of the Christmas trees. It was the perfect place to hide.

Some of the pretty ornaments were hanging low, and so as he sat underneath the tree and he’d bat his paws at them. They jingled and sparkled in front of him, momentarily distracting him. After a while, his nose caught a whiff of something, and he realized it was the smell of the luncheon buffet. He followed his nose to the source.

A long table in one of the corners was where the buffet was. Everyone was cueing up and grabbing plates and stuffing them with all sorts of lovely things.

Akihito was politely sitting down next to the table. His neck craned all the way up, and his eyes gleamed like sapphires as he looked upon the beautiful arrangement of food.

Cat don’t need to cue up. He thought as he licked his lips.

He didn’t think twice as he pounced up on the table, right where his favorite dish, a grilled mackerel, was getting served up on a silver platter. Just his luck!

There were gasps and murmurs of horror. And people exclaiming, “OH NO!” as he jumped up on the table. He just as quickly closed his mouth down on a slice of fish. He spun around, delight sparkling in his hazel eyes and a whole fish in between his little fangs. He pounced down gracefully and sprinted away just as some of the caterers were shooing him away.

He ran under a table and snarfed it all down quickly before anyone could take it from him. It was delicious! He even licked his paws clean it was so good.

He peaked out from under the table to look around to see if the coast was clear. The caterers were getting all puffy and having to haul away all the fish that had been “contaminated” when he had jumped up on the counter. He wanted to dash out and grab more of the fish before they hauled it away.

But before he could move, glasses secretary arrived on the scene. Akihito stayed put in his hiding place. Kirishima was with Suoh, and they were looking around the place. Obviously looking for Akihito.

“Where did you see the cat go,” Kirishima asked one of the waiters.

“I don’t know! He took the fish, and then he bolted away!” The waiter said, brushing Kirishima off while he took the plate of Mackerel away. “I’m gonna have to throw this food away now!” He sounded angry.

Kirishima and Suoh exchanged a look, “Akihito, getting into the Buffet! I should have known and come here first thing!” Kirishima said, shaking his head disapprovingly.

“You've got to tell the boss,” Suoh says, shrugging his shoulders.

“He’s not gonna be happy, though..”

“But what if he wanders out of the building or something? Then that’ll be trouble,” Suoh responded. “Just come clean. Watch, I bet he’s just gotta whistle or something, and Akihito will come right over to him.”

“Whistle?” Kirishima looked up at Suoh, confused, but they walked along until Akihito could no longer hear the rest of their conversation, and they disappeared into the crowd.

The little cream-colored cat was having too much fun to go back to Asami. There was still much he wanted to do. So he skirted out from under his hiding place and traveled along the outer rim of the room. There were fewer people, and it was easier to move around.

Until he was suddenly and without warning picked up from under his arms up by a pair of unseen hands. He thought it would be Kirishima and that his fun had been foiled, but when the hands turned him around, he found it was only Sakura. The nice receptionist lady that works at Sion and always gave him treats.

“Hello there, Akihito! What are you doing all the way over here? And by yourself no less.” She said, and she secured his bottom legs with her other hand.

“Meow,” Akihito says flatly.

As she straightened out, she suddenly looked up and gasped. “Look, Akihito. A mistletoe!” She pointed with her finger.

Akihito followed her finger up. They were under an arch where a green leafy mistletoe was attached and hanging down directly below them. He had heard about this tradition from Kiko.

But before he can really comprehend what that meant, Sakura was already lifting him up from under his armpits and planting the wettest kiss right square on his nose.

“MH!” He tries to recoil backward, but she just presses forwards with her kiss. There was no getting out of it.

She let go and laughs. “You owe me that one, y’know, from last time.”

He made a whining noise when he got released. He had not given his permission for that kiss. Although he supposed it was okay since it _was_ the mistletoe rule. But he was still not happy about it.

“MEOW!” He said louder this time, and he lightly batted his paw in his displeasure, making it known he wanted to be put down and let go.

She put him down and was probably planning on grabbing the leash but, Akihito was too fast. And he scuttled away and she missed her chance to grab the leash.

“Akihito!” She called after him.

But Akihito was happy to be rid of her, as he ran into the crowd. She may be a nice lady, but he was grumbling because he didn’t like that she had kissed him without his permission.

Only Asami had his permission.

As he sprung away deeper into the crowd of people, weaving through the crowd of people. He reached the center and was planning to hide under the tree for a bit more when something caught his eye.

An ornament hanging in the middle of the large tree. A mistletoe.

And an idea came perking into his head. He would give the mistletoe to Asami, and then he’d get lots of kisses from Asami. And _his_ kisses would wipe away that other lady's unwanted kiss.

Yes, he liked that idea. He could just picture Asami’s amused face when he drops it down at his feet.

Now… to get the mistletoe.

_Hmmmm….._

___________________________________

Kirishima decided to face Asami, knowing he would probably not be pleased to hear Akihito was running amuck. Asami was in the middle of talking to some of the executives. A brandy in his hands as he played the suave businessman in front of his _legitimate_ employees.

The secretary took him aside. “Sir. I’m afraid Akihito’s gotten loose…” He says, seeing how his boss's eye momentary flash in a lethal sort of way. Before he could worry or even get angry, Kirishima explained himself. “But don’t worry I have men covering all the exits. He’s definitely still in the ballroom. It’s my own fault, sir. I’m sorry. He pulled a fast one on me….” He looked down sheepishly, embarrassed at himself for getting tricked by Akihito.

“I see, well, I’m sure he was just a little bored,” Asami says, amused. “Let's just make sure that he doesn’t wander out. I don’t want him truly getting lost. Then we’ll have a real problem.”

“The thing is, sir, he’s causing some trouble. He took a whole fish off the buffet table, and his scurrying around on the ground is tripping up the guest.”

“Alright, I understand,” Asami said, a smirk lining his lips at hearing Akihito’s antics. “Just follow the chaos. I’m sure you’ll find him.”

“Yes, sir. I’m sure we’ll find him. We’re just not sure where to look first…”

Just as the words come out of his mouth as if on cue, there's a rustling noise and creaking noise. The tree in the center of the ballroom, which is within view directly behind Kirishima, starts shaking as if out of balance.

People around stepped back, gasped, and a few shouts as the 8-foot tree starts careening downwards. Glass ornaments fall off the side and shatter on the ground before it even reaches the ground.

When it topples over, it lands with a thud. A crowd of people circle around it, wondering what caused it to fall.

A cream-colored cat's head pops up among the branches of the fallen tree, a mistletoe ornament in its mouth.

All the while, Kirishima and Asami didn’t even turn around to all the chaos going on directly behind them.

Kirishima's eyes are closed in defeat, and Asami’s fighting off a growing smirk on his lips.

Suoh suddenly appears next to them, “I think I found Akihito…” He says deadpan.

* * *

Kitties in reindeer ornaments, also how I imagine the Akihito fan club forum be looking with pictures of Akihito wearing it. 


	85. Christmas extra: Part two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay i know this isn't the other Christmas special i promised but it was highly requested, and I got to give the people what they want.
> 
> Plus the other one, Halloween special part two, is coming up, and its a combination of the new years one I said I was thinking about doing. so I did save myself from doing one - just to do another one. 
> 
> I was also wondering if the images were okay from last time. some people were talking about images being down so I redid all of them (from different chapters too) in a different way so I hope everyone can see them.
> 
> Mostly I wanted to post this one because I was SCREAMING over the new raws. I don't want to give anything away and I would appreciate if people don't spoil anything in the chat. although I REALLY want to hear people's thoughts about it. I was so upset about it I just wanted to do something fun and cute. to take my mind off of it.   
> All i cared about and the only bright spot for me was the CAT DAD in this new episode. GEE Asami and this cat dad sure have a lot in common 🤔🤔

As soon as the cat pops out of the tree, he shakes off all the pine needles attached to him.

He ignores the gapes and murmurs of people, who watch as he prances away from the Christmas tree, deciding it was time to find Asami now in the hall of people. The leash that had been on top of him was actually stuck in the tree- as that had been the real cause of the tree falling.

 _Not my fault_. He tells himself.

Because it appears to be stuck so use his teeth to yank out the leash, the mistletoe still in his mouth as he yanks.

That is until a very unhappy looking Kirishima appears behind him.

“…Akihito..” He says warningly.

Couldn’t he see it was not Akihitos fault? It was the leash's fault. It got tangled. As he climbed up, and then when he got down, it all fell over.

He makes a whining noise in response.

Suoh comes up behind him and starts to untangles the leash. Even Suoh’s looking a little put out.

“What's that in his mouth?” Suoh asks, noticing the mistletoe in his mouth.

“Oh, I think that an ornament from the tree, some…mistletoe…” Kirishima says, looking down at him.

Kirishima and Suoh exchange a look, knowing that mistletoe can be poisonous if eaten by a cat. Not deadly but certainly harmful, upset stomach and vomiting are common symptoms.

Kirishima makes a grab for it.

“MHHMmmmm,” Akihito lowly growls when Kirishima tries he bats Kirishima’s hand away.

He knows he is still stuck, so he has nowhere to run to or go to, so he instead bits down harder on the ornament and clutches it up with his paws, and even his lower power hold on to it. He cradles the ornament protectively as Kirishima tries to pinch it away from him.

“A-Akihito! Give me that!” Kirishima tries as he pinches the ornament and tries to pull it away from Akihito.

“Mmmmmmmhhhhhrrrrrrrrrrrrrr,” Akihito growl is a half whining growl, and he kicks with his legs and wiggles trying to get Kirishima off him. “mmmmmmhhhhrrrrrrr” His claws dig into the plant as Kirishima keeps trying to make a grab for until there playing tug-o-war with the ornament. “MMMMhhhhrrrrr”

Akihito’s angry now. This was for Asami, not for you! He thinks angrily. He does not want to end up having to kiss Kirishima, too!

“Mmmmmrrrrhhhhrrr”

Their little argument on the center floor of the ballroom with the fallen tree behind them causes all eyes to be on them as everyone hears Akihito's increasingly loud little whine/growls.

“Akihito that is- a dangerous plant know drop it.” Kirishima insists, and he gets so frustrated that he picks the cat up by the scruff of his neck, as soon as the leash is untied from the tree and hauls him away to Asami so he’d listen.

Akihito’s still whining and meowing loudly for the whole ballroom to hear all the way. The crowd of people watching part to make way. The cat starts to bat Kirishima away and angrily meows at him. That is until he ends up right in front of Asami, who’s rubbing his forehead looking at the two.

“Meow!” Akihito says softer when he sees Asami as if none of his chaos had happened, and he was simply greeting the man.

“Akihito, what is that in your mouth…” Asami says calmly.

Akihito wiggles and bats at Kirishima, wanting to be released. Asami nods to Kirishima to let him down, which Kirishima does with a sigh.

The cat was still covered in pine needles as they got embedded into his long hair. He straightens himself out when Kirishima puts him down. And then he practically skips the rest of the way to Asami. He lovingly nudges his head against Asami’s legs as if nothing had happened, and he gently places the mistletoe down at his feet. He meows again softly.

Asami picks up the cat and the mistletoe from the ground. “You wanted to give me this?” He says, turning his head to look at the cat who was up against his chest.

Akihito meows again, and he nudges his head against Asami’s head.

Asami can’t help but smile, and he laughs too. He plants a single kiss on the kitten's nose.  
Then Asami nods to some of the other executives that were there and to Kirishima. He turns on his heels and heads towards the exit.

It was almost sundown anyway. He’d give the kitten lots of kisses under the mistletoe if thats what he wanted…

_________________________________

OMAKE:

Sakura Nakano was standing near her Akihito fan club group as they watched the whole thing unfold. Even videotaped it.

They were sure it would become viral within a few hours.

Sakura clicks her tongue as she sees Asami carting away the naughty kitten.

“And people think he’s a crime lord….” She shrugs, not comprehending how those rumors were started.

“It's so unbelievable that people believe that,” Her co-workers murmured in agreement as they click photos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the video that inspired Akihito's not letting go of his mistletoe. 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=lwl6szBTQ9g
> 
> __________________________________________________________________
> 
> I don't mean to like shamelessly plug myself. But i am shamelessly plug myself one time.
> 
> I recently decided to get a Tumblr: 
> 
> https://chryso0.tumblr.com
> 
> Probably will post dumb finder stuff but might post some more detailed thoughts on the most recent chapter as well.


	86. Holiday Special: Cat in the Castle p.2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 18 pages later...It's okay because this is so fun to write for me.
> 
> I decided to call this little special side story, from Halloween- Cat in the Castle. I think it's fitting. and I'll probably do more just for funsies later on. 
> 
> Just so everyone knows. Extra's and Special, i consider them outside of the timeline of the main story. (obviously, this one is in a totally different universe) But like the two Christmas extras were outside the regularly scheduled timeline. I'll be back next week and it'll be Akihito just coming back from Hong Kong. 
> 
> Hopefully, I'll get down with my fourth treat sometime tomorrow 😊
> 
> Happy New YEAR! ❤️ BYE BYE 2020!! 🥰

**Twas the night before Christmas** , when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a - _Cat_.

That was because Akihito was sleeping soundly in the King's chambers. The fireplace nearby was crackling slightly, making the room nice and toasty. He was curled up on a goose-feathered mattress. Expensive fur blanks and wool ones were wrapped around him as it was a cold night.

Akihito had only just arrived at the capital of Sion.

As much as he may have wanted to, Asami hadn’t practically kidnapped the boy and taken him right to the capital back then. Kirishima had advised him to be more sensible about it.

It had taken months. Since there were many complications, and there was a lot to arrange if Asami wanted to pull it off.

But he was finally here. Akihito’s had secretly arrived here as Asami's Christmas surprise.

The long carriage ride with Kou, Takato, and Suoh had really knocked him out. So as soon as he arrived, he just climbed right into Asami’s bed and cozied up under the covers where it was nice and warm.

There was a lot to consider for his arrival. Were they going to keep Akihito’s secret? Or maybe it would just be easier to announce to the world that this divine little creature existed. (and it belonged to Asami, so hands off!) 

As King, Asami held court, and it meant his guest and even himself weren’t exactly afforded the kind of privacy one might normally have in the countryside. Everyone living under one roof, there was only so much you could hide in one castle without wandering mouths.

For now, though, they thought it would be prudent not to say anything at all, and at least _try_ not to expose Akihito’s secret. They knew it might be chaotic if his secret was exposed.

For now, all they could do was keep Akihito hidden away in the Royal apartments. He’d just be posing as nothing more than a pet cat. He could come out during the day, but he’d have to return to the King's apartments at night. It would be sealed off, and only the King, Kirishima, Suoh, Kou, and Takato could enter.

Kou and Takato were both granted new titles, and the stipend connected to that would help in restoring their old family home. They were, of course, invited to court. Were they could keep an eye on Akihito and attend to him.

They were given apartments at court. Their rooms would be conveniently close to the King's chambers. Usual an honor reserved for council members or other members of the royal family. A secret passageway was built with the adjacent space that connected the two apartments so Akihito could have more space and go in-between freely.

For almost two months, Asami and Akihito hadn’t seen each other. Suoh had stayed behind in the countryside with Akihito while everything was getting prepared in the capital.

The Knight was teaching Akihito, and even Kou and Takato some court rules. (and some manners too.) Teaching them about what he could expect when they arrived back in the capital.

Asami’s prolonged stay in the old Takaba manor, and already drawn some curious eyes. And when it was announced that Kou and Takato would be joining court as well and that the King had given them titles and gave them an adjacent apartment the gossip reached a fever pitch.

The speculation was that one of the young Lord Takaba’s had taken the King's fancy. The rumors were not aided by the fact that the King was no longer publicly seeing anyone.

The four had decided to arrive late at night in a carriage and entered the castle through some back entrances. Akihito was dressed in a large cloak to hide his tail and ears as they snuck around the castle, getting escorted by the King's guards.

They had settled into their rooms. The boy had been so excited to arrive. He missed Asami. He had partially curled into the man's bed because the familiar scent of the man had made him feel very comfortable.

He found he could not stay up and wait for the King to come back, and sleep took him quickly.

______________________________________

Asami was finally finishing up for the day and was taking the short walk from council rooms and his office back to the royal apartments.

Kirishima usually walked with him, and they’d discuss and go over their plans for tomorrow. Asami should have realized something was up by the way his most trusted adviser had been unusually quiet all evening. When they got to the door of his quarters, he made a suggestion he usually never did.

“It’s Christmas tomorrow. Why don’t we start a little later than usual.”

Asami eyed the knight suspiciously. “What do you mean? Just because it's Christmas doesn’t mean the affairs of state can wait… isn’t that usually your line?”

“It would be acceptable to me if we took a small break for the holidays,” Kirishima says flatly. He doesn’t elaborate or explain, “Good night, sir. Happy Christmas, to you.” He turns on his heels just as the door is reached, and he leaves.

Asami a little stunned, and he turns to watch the man leave, “Alright then…” He shrugs and enters the apartment.

The King's apartments were a set of private rooms, guards were posted at the entrance, and usually, servants were coming and going. Although the King preferred to keep the staff to a minimum so he could have some semblance of privacy.

The front rooms were for some sitting areas and lounge areas, there was a private study and library. Bathroom, and a dining table for when he very ate private meals here. There was his bedroom, and even a private balcony. Everything that one might need.

As he walked into the chambers, he could feel something was off. It was like his senses were tingling that something seemed out of place. Normally the servants left after a certain time but he could feel that someone had been here recently. Perhaps it was the smell of the fire going on in the other room, or how a few things looked mislaid.

He goes on alert as he looks around. He heads back towards the bedroom in the back section of the quarter. There was one member of his court who had been very openly vying for Asami’s attention. The sycophant had long been trying to weasel his way into the King’s bed chambers.

Sudoh was a particular thorn in Asami’s side. An overt flatterer, who would do anything for prestige and power. The reason Asami thinks of the man now is because he had recently been driven to desperate acts. Sudoh had probably heard the rumors that the King had taken one of the Takaba Lords as a lover. And upon hearing it, the man had payed off one of Asami’s servants to leave an untoward note in Asami’s chambers.

The act had led Asami to take swift action against what he perceived to be a security protocol breach. Such a payoff- even to deliver something as silly as a note could not go without some penalty. If a similar event happen while Akihito was here. It could expose his secret.

Asami couldn't do much in terms of a penalty against the Lord Sudoh- expect some minor sanctions. But the servant who had delivered the letter was sent to the stocks and was fired from their position. Mostly as a warning to the other servants that such a thing would not be tolerated.

The message was clear- this time, it may be a silly letter. But next time, it could be chocolates filled with arsenic.

In any event, Asami stalked towards the bedroom. All he was thinking was that Sudoh had done it again and had maybe even entered the apartments. And he even felt like he might still be here.

It would give Asami JUST the opportunity he wanted to throw the man out on his ass and would be due cause to force him out of court.

He got to the door of his bedroom, which was not closed properly, and he slipped in. The fire was on. The four-post bed in the center had its canopy curtains all drawn, a sign someone was on the other side. It was winter, so the curtains were a particularly thick material to keep the inside warm, so he could not see anything on the other side.

Asami couldn’t believe the nerve of this man, coming into his quarter and planting himself into his bed. It was ridiculously bold and downright insolent. He walked over to the bed and shoved the curtains away, in no mood to play this game with Sudoh.

He’s ready to drag the blond out by his hair. But instead, he finds another blond curled up cozily in his bed, and his mouth drops.

Akihito’s dead to the world as he sleeps. He lays on his side, gripping the pillow tightly as if it was a warm body and not a sack of feathers. He has the blankets pulled up all the way up his face, so just his eyes and the top of his head and his little cat ears peek out.

His big cat ears slightly droop down over either side of him. While his closed eyes are little content half-moons. He’s purring resonantly, in sleep.

The picture of bliss.

Asami never climbed into bed so fast. He threw off his clothes and pushed the blankets away - and GASP! Akihito was wearing his nightshirt.

Ah yes. The nicest Christmas present there could be.

One that might require him to sleep-in tomorrow so he could _thoroughly_ enjoy it.

_______________________________

The kitten woke up in a mood the following morning and was yapping at Asami.

He’d squawk, and then he’d dive his two front paws down on the sleeping man.

Evidently, he was famished, and no one had come to let the little kitty out of the closed bedroom. So his only recourse was to bother Asami.

He squeaks this time and drove his front paws down on his chest even harder than he had before. It was also Christmas morning, and usually, on Christmas morning there’d be lots of fun things to do - and Akihito wanted to partake in them.

“What is it, Kitten?” Asami yawned. Akihito only squawked at him in response.

Asami chuckled as he sat up from the bed. “So much energy this morning, Kitten. It seems I was too easy on you last night. Hmm?”

The kitten tried to jump away from the bed suddenly, but Asami snatched him mid-jump. And brought him up close, and pecked him on his little head about 50 times. While he squeaked and squawked at Asami.

Then he let him go runoff. He grabbed a robe and covered himself, then went to the door that the cat scratched on and opened it.

Usually, on Christmas Day, the servant would prepare some special breakfast in the private dining room. It appeared that was what Akihito wanted to join in on because Suoh and Kirishima are there dropping off plates of food on silver platters.

“Good morning, Akihito-san,” They both great as the kitten runs past Asami, he greats them with a meow and jumps up on the table to see what arrangement of food they brought out.

“Akihito, what did I saw about jumping on the table.” Suoh reminds the cat of some of the court manners he had been teaching him the last two months.

Akihito whines, but he plops down on a chair, just as Asami follows him in.

“Good morning Asami-sama, Merry Christmas,” Suoh and Kirishima say in unison, and they bow to their King.

“Good morning. Merry Christmas to you both too.” Asami responds. He picks up Akihito from the chair so he can sit there and places him back down on his lap. “I am not used to you two pulling a fast one on me. Thank you for getting Akihito here a little earlier. I was not expecting him until the new year.” He explains.

The two nod understandingly, and they all decide to have breakfast together as there's quite a large platter of food. They discuss some work-related things, as well as what the schedule was for today. Asami has a light schedule since it is the holiday.

New Year is when most of the state events are hosted, but today there is a small meeting with the court's nobles.

Once they’ve eaten, they take Akihito over to Kou and Takato apartments. The two boys are nervous but always polite in front of the King. 

“We are excited to be formally introduced to court later this afternoon,” Kou says after the usual pleasantries have been exchanged. 

Because the two are the court's newest members, there will be a small introduction presentation in the throne room where the new titles will be officially granted. The event will take place during today's meeting with the nobles.

“Of course, I almost forgot about that.” Asami says, “Bring Akihito along as well. We will try to keep it short. I am afraid you must have already heard you two are at the center of some gossip. There's nothing you have to worry about with that. Those rumors will die down.” He tells them.

“We will keep to ourselves for a little bit anyway. Suoh has warned us about the perilous of court life. We think it will be safer to keep our distance from some of the court events at first. We still have much to learn, and we are afraid we might wind in with the wrong sort of people.” Takato explains.

“Very sensible of you. Then I suppose I’ll see you both later today.” Asami says as he makes his exit, waving goodbye at Akihito and the two others.

___________________________

“…I have a serious concern about some of the nobles at court, Asami-sama.”

 _Sudoh was really going at it today, wasn’t he…_ Asami thought with a sign. He was sitting in the thrown room with a group of some of the nobles. While Sudoh was making his arguments, which Asami was only half listening to.

“There have to be some standards. Some noble come here because their great, great uncle was given a title more than 100 years ago. Does that make them entitled to come here? When they are uneducated, poor, unmannerly. Some of them are practically no different than peasants. We should _want_ the nobles at court to be cultured, and of a special genteel quality.” 

“Lord Sudoh. I _appreciate_ your concern. But weren’t you yourself allowed to be in court because of the very same principle. The rules you are suggesting seem like they could be quite arbitrary.” Asami tries his hardest to sound sarcastic.

“But My King, if we just allow-“ Sudoh is about to run down with another argument when he is interrupted by a herald who was announcing the official introduction of the Kou and Takato.

The doors swiftly opened, and everyone stood aside as Kou, and Takato’s names are announced, their province they were from, and what titles they bare. They started to make their procession down to where the King was sitting on the thrown. 

Suddenly there were a few gapes when a small fluffy cream-colored kitten seemed to cut in front of the two brothers. It's tail high in the air in a playful manner. It wore an oversized red bow around its tiny neck. The clearing which had been made for the brother entrances served for the kitten to prance across the throne room.

The King hardly made a reaction, except for a raised eyebrow. The rest of the court gawked at the cat, and a few stray laughs could be heard at his entrance he made.

When Akihito got to the King, it jumped into the man's lap like it was the most natural thing. The King was making no move to remove the cat. In fact, he began stroking it down its back. But he brought his head back up and brought his attention back to the two young men entering.

“Lords Kou, Takato. I welcome you to court.” He said.

The two bowed low in front of the King. They both couldn’t help but snicker at Akihito’s antics. Asami rose from the throne and places Akihito back down on it. He is handed the ceremonial sword, which he then uses to ordain both Kou and Takato. Making their new titles official as he places the sword gently on both shoulders.

Once he is done with the small ceremony, the two brothers rise.

“Please join us for Christmas dinner, Lords Kou and Takato,”Asami says, and he gestures to the feast hall where the Christmas dinner will be held.

They all move into the dining hall, which was richly decorated for the holiday season. There's a large fireplace on one end, which is crackling and keeping the occupants warm. Two large festive trees are flanking either side of it. Decorated with cranberry garlands, candles, and large bowties.

Four long tables are going down the length of the hall. Candle chandeliers drape down low above them. The chandeliers had been wrapped with holly, and there are centerpieces on each table with colored candles and evergreen garlands.

On the other side is a single long table that is perpendicular to the other four tables. At the center of that table is a throne-like chair—Asami’s seat.

Food has already been placed on the tables, and it's a decretive ensemble of pork, pheasants, and duck. There were loaves of bread and some vegetables.

Asami plucks up Akihito from the throne room he quietly reminds Akihito of some rules. “Akihito… don’t jump up on the table. Thats forbidden. You’ll just have to tolerate sitting on my lap, and I’ll feed you.” 

The cat meowed, and his head slightly nodded. Asami escorted the two brothers to sit at his table where Kirishima and Suoh would also be sitting.

The whole meal, the cat lays on its back on Asami’s lap and bats his paws around when he wants a bite of Asami’s food. Eventually, they know the sun is on its way down, so Suoh scoops up the cat and escorts Takato and Kou back to their chambers.

Asami only stays a while longer before he departs himself. He heads back to his Royal Chambers, where he then uses the secret passageway they had built so he can enter into Kou and Takato’s rooms.

The passageway will mean less gossip about the King entering into their chambers. The secret passageway was installed secretly by trusted men, so nobody but a handful of people know of it.

When he gets back, he finds Akihito dressed in a full set of clothing.

“Asami, Asami!” He rushes over to the man as he enters. “It's snowing outside!! I want to go outside. Let's go outside. I want to go for a walk!”

“Asami-sama,” Kou follows behind Akihito. “We tried to tell him it's dangerous."

Asami looks at Kou and then back at Akihito, who’s giving him puppy dogs eyes. “I am sure we can work something out.”

And so they did. Akihito was given a great big fur-trimmed cloak with a large and billowy hood cover his face and ears. The cloak also covered his tail. Meanwhile, Kirishima and Suoh oversee their security. Guards clear a path in the garden, which is pretty empty anyway this time of night.

They sneak out through a back stairwell and head outside while it's still snowing.

As far as Akihito is concerned, it's just them, but there's actually a whole team of guards staying far away from them, so they don’t run into anyone.

Asami scoops up the boy's hand and leads him towards the path where the nicer gardens are. He gives him a brief rundown of the castle's history as they walk, which the boy seemed to have already received from Suoh.

As they get more into the middle of the gardens, the snow starts to really pick up. Akihito stops mid walking, wanting to relish in the snowfall for a little bit. He looks up, his face slightly peeking out of his hood. The snowflake land right on his nose, and he scrunches up his face delighting in the feeling. He takes off one of his mittens so that he can feel the snow in his hands.

“It doesn’t snow a lot at home,” Akihito explains, and wide and precious grin forming on his lips.

Asami turns around himself and looks around, noticing some of it has already started to stick. Already about two inches have accumulated on the ground, and it's starting to look like a winter wonderland or something, with snow starting to build up on trees and all the bushes. Asami had never stop to ever appreciate something like that before.

BAM! He’s hit in the side of the face with a cold ball of snow.

He turns around, and Akihito’s already giggling. His other mitten is covered with snow. Asami gapes at him. Jokingly feigning surprise and shock.

“You didn’t!” He says and he begins to pick up a ball of snow himself, and Akihito quickly hunches over himself to get another snowball queued up before Asami can.

Asami whacks him with a snowball before he can get a chance. It hits him right square in his face.

“OH!” Akihito says, and he quickly starts to wipe the remaining off. “That was cold! You’ll pay for that.” He says, and instead of grabbing another snowball, he leaps at Asami, catching the man off guard, and they both plummet backward into the snow.

“Oof,” Asami says as they land. The wind is knocked out of him.

Akihito giggles while he scrambles on top of Asami, trying to grab another snowball so that he can probably smash it right on his face. But Asami’s quicker, and he flips them both over, so he has Akihito pinned underneath him.

“OH!” Akihito looks wide-eyed at Asami. He was not expected to lose his position on top. “Asami!! It’s cold!” He immediately whines once Asami’s got him on his back.

“Is that so…” Asami shifts his weight, slighting, holding himself up by a knee.

He leans down near Akihito's lips as if he was going to kiss those full lips, but he doesn’t and only hoovers over them. Teasing him. Their warm breath, which they can see due to the cold, goes into each other's faces, and they lock eyes.

Akihito hooks his arms around Asami. He makes a little whining noise in his throat, wanting to be kissed and not wanting Asami to tease him with one.

Asami scoffs and smiles. “Such a needy kitty.”

But he leans down nonetheless and plants an open mouth kiss on the boy. He lapses their lips together and sweeps his tongue in. He only pulls away when the boys practically gasping for breath. He often forgets how to breathe.

But he always looks delicious when Asami pulls away. Lips red and swollen, his eyes glossed over with need, and his face bright pink as he puffs for air. His nose is even red from the cold. And there's a drip of saliva going down his chin.

“Let me get you back inside,” Asami caress his cheek, “I’ll warm you up nice…”

He sits up and helps Akihito off the ground. He checks to make sure Akihito’s hood is still nicely covering his cat ears, and he sweeps his thumb across his face. He leans in again for another kiss. Before he leads him back towards the back entrance, they came from.

What they don’t know as they leave was that someone else was watching them…

_______________________________

The next few days pass relatively quickly and quietly. The New Year is here, and there are more state dinners and functions to go to this time around.

There were a few New Years' traditions that were often done around this time. Including a special deep cleaning to round the new year with a clean house. Most everyone got involved, not just the servants. Although some of the nobles would be fairly lazy and not partake.

That usually started the day before New Years' eve, especially since the castle was quite big and it would take until New Years Day to finish. Even Asami generally partook in the deep cleaning.

He’d organize his own quarters and get rid of things. He spent practically the whole day getting rid of things with Kirishima and some other servants, the day before New Years'.

The little cream-colored cat picked out things he ought to keep and supervised the cleaning even. Some servants were a little weirded out when the cat would find one more place they seemingly had missed while they were scrubbing the floors.

Or they were bewildered at how it appeared out of nowhere when they were cleaning the kitchen to steal away whatever scraps they were getting rid of.

Although the servants were beginning to like the little cream colored cat that frequently appeared around Asami, there was even something of a fan club for it. And EVERYONE was noted how the King was unabashedly spoiling the kitty.

While Asami had spent all day doing as much cleaning as a man befitting of his title would do, he had some other plans for tonight…

“A BATH!” Akihito said anguishedly. “But- I- I don’t wanna! I took one before I got here already,” He complained.

“Akihito, it's the New Years' tradition to take a bath. We’re all getting nice and clean for the New Year so we can have a fresh start.” Asami explained.

“Akihito does not like baths..” Kou says, behind Akihito. “I’m afraid we have the worst time getting him into a bath. But we’ll give it a try…” Kou says, nodding his head jokingly disapprovingly at Akihito.

They were completely right, as an hour later, Asami sneaks into their apartments by the secret passageway to see how the bath was going. It was not going great.

The bathwater had been sent up by some servants, seemingly for either Kou or Takato. A big wooden tub in the middle of the room was filled with the steaming hot water. But the boy is not playing along and half out of the water. Kou and Takato are basically pushing him into the bath to keep him there. Both of them are soaked from all the splashing and fighting thats been going on, trying to keep him in the bath. 

They look like they’ve been struggling while the boy fights them at every turn. Asami laughs, seeing them struggle to get a handle on one skinny cat-boy.

“Do you see how hard it is? We have to deal with this every time he takes a bath,” Takato points out.

“Would you two mind if I try my hand at this bath time thing?” Asami asks.

Kou and Takato exchange a look. “Are you sure, your majesty…he’ll probably splash you. We don’t mind washing him.” They were likely thinking of the fact that it seemed perhaps unbefitting of a King to do such a task.

But, Asami’s already taking off his jacket and rolling up his sleeves. “It’s quite alright. I’ll make sure he behaves himself.” He says playfully, eyeing Akihito from the side.

Kou and Takato laugh. “Alright,” Takato says and gets up to leave.

“Ha-Ho. Do you hear that, Akihito? Asami-sama’s is now calling the shots. No getting out of this one, you better behave!” Kou says playfully.

Akihito even seems to be thinking the same thing, and his ears droop down, and he bits on his bottom lip as the two take their leave.

“Sit down,” Asami orders, his eyes flash down at the tub.

Akihito whines, but he sits down.

Asami looks him up and down. Akihito was surprisingly a very clean cat. He kept himself looking very clean even though he seemed to hate bathing and only bathed about once or so a week. He even tended to smell very nice all the time, too, very woodsy like pine and a bit sweet like lavender.

Asami comes up behind him with a cloth, and he starts using the soap and massaging circles around his back, and scrubbing him down.

It seemed an unusual position to be in. The King on his knees dutifully washing someone else. Although Asami was starting to feel like _he_ was the lucky one that had the privilege of touching _this_ skin. So much so that he thinks he’ll have to make bath time a regular part of their routine.

He pecks a kiss on the boy's shoulder.

The water was nice and soapy. Some oils had been dripped inside of it, which made it smell nice. He picks up one of the boy's lanky arms and scrubs under his armpits. Akihito mostly remains silent during the scrubbing, although he sometimes makes little whining noises. While Asami moves down to his skinny legs, which he lifts out of the water to scrub.

Then he goes to the other end of the tub and lifts the boy's feet out of the water. He presses and rolls his thumb into the arch of his foot before putting it down and doing the same to the other one.

He washes his blond hair next and then gestures for him to stand and step out of the bath when he’s all done. Akihito stands in the bathwater, dripping wet and glistening. Asami can’t help but take an eyeful while he aids him out of the bath tube.

“See, that wasn’t so hard. Now you’re nice and clean. Perfect for the New Year.”

Akihito grumbles quietly to himself. “I am just gonna get dirty again…”

“Well, then next time I’ll take a bath with you, hmm? Would you like that?”

The boy goes rosy pink, and his ears perk up in interest. Although his eyes dart to the ground as if he’s trying to pretend it's not really what he wants.

He was straightforward to read, wasn’t he…

________________________________

Another feast is prepared the following day for New Year's Eve. With yet another meeting to look forward to with the nobles… Although this time, it would be a smaller meeting in the council room, which was a more intimate space than the throne room.

This time Sudoh was unusually quiet the whole meeting. That is until everyone is preparing to go to the feast, including Asami, when Sudoh pulls aside Kirishima to request a private audience with the King, just before the meeting is adjoined. 

Asami sighs when Kirishima relays the news knowing this can’t be good. However, it could be a good opportunity to put the man in his place finally. So he grants the private audience and sends everyone else from the council off to the banquet hall to begin without him.

Akihito seems to be a little huff about the decision while he sits on Asami’s lap. He was probably hungry.

The cream-colored cat had taken to sitting on Asami’s laps during meetings. Although sometimes Asami would catch him sitting proudly in Asami’s chair or even in the throne room. It was usually a pleasing sight to Asami, a private joke between the two. Since he _was_ a little prince…

In any case, Asami's two trusted knights are the only two that stay behind as everyone leaves for the feat. The two stay by the door. And Asami gestures to Sudoh to hurry it up, as he wants to take Akihito to the feast so he can enjoy it before he transforms for the night.

Sudoh is awkward at first, unsure of where to put himself. He looks behind at the two knights behind him as if he doesn’t want them to be there.

He turns to Asami, “I was hoping to be granted a private, _private_ audience.”

Asami looks unmoved as he sips from his chalice. “Wherever I go, they go. If you have something to say, then you can say it in front of them.”

Sudoh looks thrown by Asami’s words, and he looks back at the knights and then back at Asami. Then he looks around awkwardly, still unsure of where he is supposed to stand, or perhaps even sit.

Asami rolls his eyes, “Lord Sudoh. Sit down, and tell me what this is all about.”

Sudoh sits as quickly as he can. Then coughs nervously as he settles into his seat. “You seemed to be able to give _some people_ private audiences, My King.” He says with irony.

Asami cocks his head, “What exactly are you referring to…” He asks firmly.

“I only meant, sir, that I saw you from a distance with…with one of the Lord Takaba’s on Christmas Day. After the feast, in the garden.”

Asami flashes a quick look at Suoh, as that seemed like a security lapse that Asami and Akihito were witnessed. Although Akihito has still been under his cloak so, Sudoh likely hadn’t seen anything. And he seemed even to think it was either Kou or Takato.

Asami sighs. “How do you know it was _one of the Takaba Lord’s?_ ”Asami asked, “For all you know, I was out taking my _cat_ for a walk.” Asami said ironically. He looked down at the little bundle in his lap and stroked its ear.

Sudoh laughed nervously, obviously not understanding the private joke. “Unless that cat can walk on two-leg, thats not who I saw you with.”

“And what exactly do my private affairs have to do with _you_?” He said flatly while giving Sudoh a cold look.

“Well, sir. I wanted to speak with you actually about the Takaba lords.”

Akihito looks up at Asami from his place in the man's lap. Asami just strokes down his back reassuringly. _This should be interesting._ Asami nods, feigning interest.

“There are some nasty rumors about them that perhaps you have not heard. For instance, did you know that their dilapidated castle has been the source of many dark rumors for years now? I know you recently spent some time there, and the Takaba lords were _generous enough_ to host you while you were caught in a storm. But apparently, people in the village believed that caste is the source of some evil - witchcraft or something.”

Asami stroked down Akihito’s back, “Is that so…” Again, he feigns a hint of interest.

“Yes sir. I-I had a feeling they were not so open about these rumors. They were probably deliberately hiding it from you, your Majesty. I’ve even heard that since they arrived at court, there has been none of that strange-going-ons at their castle anymore. It’s like its all together stopped since they’ve arrived here. It’s all very dubious, and frankly, my King, I think it hurts your reputation to be connected with such fishy characters. What if people got wind of those rumors? Those brothers could be charged with practicing unholy things like witchcraft and evil black magic and—“

“MEOW” Sudoh is interrupted by Akihito suddenly sitting up on Asami’s lap and meowing angrily at the man. He apparently did not take too kindly to being called black magic. “MEOW!” He says again, and he leans towards Sudoh, “MEOW!”

Usually, Akihito was well behaved during meetings, knowing that he shouldn’t interrupt or distract. But he is too mad not to.

He jumps gracefully down from his place on Asami’s lap and stands just below Sudoh’s chair, continually meowing angrily at him. Sudoh’s at a loss of what to do, he tries to restart the conversation, but the cat just meows even louder at him, like the cat is screaming at him. Sudoh looks at Asami, perhaps thinking the man will interfere in some way.

Sudoh seems unsure of what to do, so he shoos the cat away with a hand. “Shoo. Shoo. Out of here. Shoo!” He tries. But Akihito still meows angrily. He bats his paw, like he’s going to scratch Sudoh when his hand gets too close to him.

Sudoh is clearly getting frustrated and embarrassed that he can’t handle a tiny kitten interrupting him, so his voice gets louder. He says probably what he was thinking but what he should never have said in front of the King, nor in front of the angry cat. “Shoo! Shoo! You fleabag!”

To that, Akihito growls lowly, and his back arches. His hair stands on its ends, and he hisses at Sudoh.

Asami is not pleased with Sudohs harsh tone towards the cat. He turns his head, and his eyes flash in surprise at his words. He’s about to interrupt when something unexpected happens.

Akihito had seemingly had enough of Sudoh, and he’s about to pounce on him. The kitten was likely aiming right for the man's face. But right before he can pounce on the man's face and rip it to shreds like he wishes, he is _kicked_ by Sudoh, who saw him about to make his attack and was quicker in defending himself.

Akihito whimpers as he goes flying backward from the harsh kick he received.

Asami gasps and quickly rises from his chair. Suoh and Kirishima are on Sudoh faster than a wink, and their two hands push him harshly against his chair to glue him in place.

Akihito had been kicked back a few feet away from where he had been standing. Asami scoops him up off the floor. “Akihito!” He starts. “Are you alright?”

The cat straightens up. He looks as surprised as the rest of them were. Like the wind was knocked out of his sails.

He turns his head to Sudoh, and it’s like a switch goes off. He now _really_ want to tear the man's face off and make it into Swiss cheese. He hisses and growls at Sudoh, as he tries to jump out of Asami’s arms. But Asami holds him back while he tries to claw at Sudoh.

Asami holds him back and upwards, “Hey, Hey! No, No, No!” He says and puts the cat gently against his chest to calm him down. He rubs Akihito’s back to calm him. He affectionally lowers his head to rest against the cat's head. “You're alright. I’m so sorry, my little kitten. Let me deal with this little _blight_ ,” He tells the cat, but his eyes are glint lethally towards Sudoh.

“Sir! I- that CAT was about to- ATTACK me, sir! I was only defending myself!” Sudoh stutters. Suoh and Kirishima shove him back in his seat harshly.

Asami straightens out. “I really couldn’t possibly imagine you’d be so stupid as to kick the proverbial hornet's nest. Quite literally, too.” He shakes his head disapprovingly.

“Sir. Please. This is just a misunderstanding!” The look he’s getting from Asami is giving him chills.

“No, I don’t think there’s any misunderstanding,” Asami says contemptuously. He straightens out and then looks towards Suoh and Kirishima. “I’ll be taking Akihito to the banquet…I want him gone when I return.” He turns on his heels and begins to leave the council room.

His request to his two trusted knights sends a bone-chilling shudder down Sudoh's spine. “Sir! It’s just that STUPID CAT attacked me and I -”

Asami closes the door, just in time, so Akihito doesn’t see Suoh's knockout punch to Sudoh’s face to _shut him up_. He looks down at the cat and strokes him a bit more. While he leans against the double doors of the council room. “Don’t listen to that intolerable little man. You’re a very _smart_ kitten. And you're not a fleabag either. I should know I washed you myself.” He says, pushing off the wall and heading down to the banquet hall with Akihito pressed against his chest closely.

He enters into the hall without much fan fair as everyone is eating already. He sits at his table. Kou and Takato are also there. And soon after his arrival, Kirishima joins them.

The whole feast, Akihito lays himself out on Asami’s lap. Laying on his back with his paws curled up, not moving a muscle, while the King hand feed him. He was “injured” after all.

“Are you really unhurt, Akihito?” Asami checks again as he lets the cream-colored cat lick his fingers clean. He’d have to check the damage when he transforms later - if that Sudoh even got one bruise on him…. He’d do more than just send him to the stocks.

Akihito looks at Asami curiously. He curled his paws up tighter against his chest and softly meowed, indicating he was okay.

Asami would deal with Sudoh… personal. It was usually a line he didn’t want to cross with nobles in particular. Since technically nobles were afforded certain things like due process. But the man had crossed too many lines.

Asami did not like the fact he had seen Akihito in the garden that night. And while he hadn’t seen anything that time, his spying and otherwise nosey behavior might be costly for him later. He also didn’t like how he talked about the Kou and Takato. The two were under his protection.

He could see how rumors such as that could land them into some trouble. It had almost sounded like Sudoh was planning on using those rumors to his advantage. Potential even accusing them of witchcraft or something of that nature.

Everyone knew Lord Sudoh was a little obsessed with the King. They could play up the fact he was jealous and acted crazy when the King refused to take his allegations seriously. It would be easy to charge him with some kind of insubordination. The raised voice, the delirious lies. The damaging of royal _property_.

Asami could easily go further if he were feeling, especially unforgiving. He could suggest it was even an attempted assassination towards the ~~Prince~~ King.

But it was better to all-out humiliate a man like Sudoh. He’d be in the stocks tonight and probably receive a few lashes JUST because. Then he’d be out on his ass tomorrow.

He doubted anyone would say he was too harsh. It had become exactly the excuse he was looking for.

Once he is finished with dinner and Akihito has gotten his full. Asami excuses himself from the table and leaves with Akihito following closely behind.

They head back towards the Royal quarters, as it almost sundown. Asami leads the cat towards the back where the bedroom is and brings out the robe. He usually drapes over the boy when he first transforms.

The boy is already transformed by the time he turns around. A thought occurs to Asami before he gives him the cloak to cover himself; he wants to see if there's any damage due to Sudoh.

“Let me look at you,” he says, and he puts the cloak down.

Akihito nervously spins around.

There's a red spot on his side under his ribs. It would surely form a bruise by tomorrow.

Asami pursed his lip. That would be 5 lashes for Sudoh.

He rubs the spot gently with his thumb. “Does it hurt?” He asks.

Akihito nods no.

“I should have stopped him…I’m sorry, my dear.”

Akihito presses himself against the man's chest, “I just don’t want him to say mean things about Kou and Takato…” he frowns.

“I’ll make sure he won’t,” Asami promises.

Akihito rubs his head against Asami’s chest, affectionately, “Happy New Year, Asami…” He says.

“It's not midnight yet…” Asami teases, and he moves some of the boy's hair aside. “Y’know… what's another good New Years' tradition.”

“Yes?” Akihito asks, lifting his head and pressing his chin against Asami's taunt chest while he looks up at the man.

“Watching the first sunrise of the New Year together.” 

Akihito gapes. “Thats so early! I’ll be asleep!”

“Hmmm… I don’t know. I think we can think of something to keep you awake.” He smirks.

He brings the boy's chin upwards and possessively captures the boy's lips in a kiss. He plunders the boy's mouth, taking no prisoners. He doesn’t release the boy until he’s hot and needy.

“Get on the bed, kitten,” Asami growls into the boy's ears before he chops down on one of his fluffy ears and the boy shudders and gasps.

He makes a winning noise but then turns quickly and jumps onto the bed.

“Good boy,” Asami calls after him as he’s begun taking off his own clothes. Happy to fuck his little Prince into the New Year.


	87. Chapter 87

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again ❤️❤️
> 
> Just wanted to say thanks to everyone that's read, kudos, or commented on my new shifter series, Crown of Violets. I was really blown by how many Kudos and positive comments I got, just on it's first week! That one will take a little bit longer to update so it might be like maybe two weeks until i update it but i hope you stay tuned 😊😊
> 
> But anyway back to this. So since we've had extras for a while, which i don't really consider as part of the main storyline. So here we are back to our regularly scheduled program 🤣 So enjoy 🥰

Asami wakes the next morning with a bushy tail in his face.

“TSK- Akihi-” He says, moving the tail away. But he freezes when he finds the cat sprawled on top of him. The cat is sleeping on his back. His paws curled up in front of him—his eyes little half-moons.

How he got upside down in this position Asami didn’t want to know but, he couldn’t very well move unless he wanted to wake Akihito up. But it was also prime time for Asami to move and let him sleep a little bit longer.

He was already planning on taking the day off today as he wanted to do everything to restore some normalcy for Akihito. But Asami needed to speak to Suoh and Kirishima. There was a lot to be done now that he was back in Tokyo. And some things needed to be discussed that he wouldn’t want Akihito to hear.

But Akihito would undoubtedly still be upset when he woke up. He could just picture the cat waking up while Asami was making a call in another room and be scared and frantically looking for Asami.

He didn’t want to re-traumatize Akihito now and leave him when he so clearly didn’t want to be left alone. But he also didn’t want to encourage this anxiety-driven clinginess. The boy was mentally upset after being torn away and spending a few days being separated and away from home. Being left in the care of strangers and being told that the people he trusted had abandoned him.

As bad as that was, and as much as Asami wanted to do everything to reassure him that they had lied and that he would never be abandoned. However, another part of him worried about over coddling him. This co-dependency was not healthy for either of them.

But, first things first. He needed to look at his phone, which was on the bedside table. So he reached across, careful not to stir the sleeping kitty on his chest.

He had a few messages from Ai, who had been told last night that Akihito was back safe and sound. Apparently, Kirishima had sent Ai a picture of the two together to let her know that all was well. The photo was of the two sitting in a jet, the cat boy asleep in his lap with his head rested on Asami’s shoulder. While, Asami had nodded off and was rest his own head on Akihito’s. It was a pretty cute photo of the two together, with the caption "reunited,"

Ai was already having her offices cleaned up, and security being doubled after the break-in. She wanted to immediately see Akihito and to hug him herself. But that would probably have to wait. There were a lot of changes that need to occur security-wise.

Asami had always worked under the assumption that Akihito was the only one. That all he had to do was protect Akihito’s secret. That nobody would think to attack a pet cat. But now he knew better.

Not only were there more people like Akihito, but there was also a whole secret society of them. And not only that, there was an entire black market operation going on where they were bought and sold to secret buyers.

How come Asami had never heard of such a thing? It had been going on all this time under his own nose- and even in his own organization. He wondered who else might be involved and how far did this go. People in his own organization hide the existence of such things and even used his own warehouses to be able to do their horrible trading.

It was clear to Asami that this had been going on secretly before he had even taken power in Japan. When he had destroyed human trafficking rings in the past, he may have sent these cat traffickers even further underground. But clearly, they were still able to do their business.

It was kind of a horrible thought. Fei Long had said that Akihito would have been highly prized in the trafficker's markets, especially because he was intersex. A sickening prospect.

Moreover, Asami was starting to think that he had unwittingly exposed Akihito when he brought the cat to his office. Or when the cat sits in his lap with him in meetings. Were there other people who had heard about the cream-colored cat that went to work with Asami every day, just as Fei Long had heard, and who knew that it must not have been a normal pet cat…

That was an even scarier thought. Kiko had lived a secluded and private life, and that had kept Akihito out of even being scrutinized. Meanwhile, Asami’s social life was often on the cover of magazines or in newspapers' pages.

Akihito had become a favorite topic of conversation at Sion. And there was a fan club that posted pictures and videos of him acting cute. Fei Long had found out and deduced that Asami had no normal cat under his care. There were sure to be others…

Maybe even the very traitor he was looking for now.

So now there would have to be a change in security precautions, and that meant probably less public outings with the cat, at least until some of this had been cleared up.

Especially once he’s dealt _personally_ with these traitors that worked behind his back, destroying one ring would potential send a message to others that he would not tolerate it on his turf.

But for now, as much as he wanted to find out about these traitors - his concern should be on Akihito. Tightening up his security procedures and dealing with the fall out of being gone for an extended trip, and catching up on things. He didn't want to give these traitors a hint that anything was wrong so he'd go about business as usual.

Asami carefully moves the kitten sleeping on his chest back to the bed. The cat stirs a bit in his arms, twisting slightly in his seat. Asami freezes everything before continuing again. Once the cat is properly back on the mattress, he gently pulls the blanket up and over it, so he stays warm and slowly climbs out of bed.

He sneaks out so he can do a quick conference call with Kirishima and Suoh about some things. He wants to make sure that some of his men are directed towards Ai so she can get the resources to make the clinic safe again. They quickly brainstorm some way to identify regular cats vs. shifter cats, so that someone like Fei Long doesn't sneak into the clinic again. But they will have to discuss with Ai. Perhaps the solution is simply to have better automatic sealing doors inside the clinic. 

They were also making preparations to have Fei Long and Yoh, and some others from their organization, come and be back up on some of these operations once they get more information about their trafficker in Tokyo. 

Asami also made it clear that he wanted a few days to unwind a bit with Akihito, especially while all these security preparations are being finalized and before things gets a little hectic over this traitor business. Asami didn't want Akihito to hear a peep about it.

Way back when, in what felt like a lifetime ago, Asami had mentioned they could go to a hot spring for a few days. Those plans had conveniently never been canceled, even after Akihito had been taken.

It seemed almost serendipitous that those plans could continue now. So it was decided they’d go after lunch time, as originally scheduled.

While Asami on his call, he stays outside the door in case he starts to hear Akihito waking up.

Fortunately, the boy had been completely wasted after his little adventures in Hong Kong. Asami finished with business before the cat even roused again, which Asami was surprised about, thinking the cat would probably wake soon due to hunger.

Asami went back into the bedroom, he decided to change into some casual clothing before Akihito woke up, but he noticed Akihito stirring while he was changing.

He was stirring from what was obviously a bad dream. He was still lying on his back. His paws curled up in front of him. When suddenly, his legs began to kick, and his paws scrambled in the air. His tail twitches to life and his head bobs from side to side. A little whine sound growls in his throat.

Asami was quick to curling up next to him. He gently rubbed the cat's belly with a finger, wondering what Akihito was dreaming about. “Akihito…” He says softly.

The cat snaps out of his little fussing immediately, and he flops sleepily on his side. A contented purr vibrates his body as Asami continues rubbing his belly.

Asami’s sighs, at least he had easily quelled and calmed him. 

Perhaps a spa visit was exactly what he needed.

Asami continues petting the kitty, he didn't like the thought of Akihito having nightmares. After another minute, he leans down and kisses his belly, then lifts his head slightly just to kiss his nose. This stirred the cat out of his sleep.

Sleepy green eyes greeted him, and the cat put his paws on either side of Asami’s face after the man had kissed his nose.

“Good morning, kitty,” Asami says, and he pecks his nose once again and leans up over the cat. “You’ve been a sleepy kitty,” Asami says as he scratches the cat's belly.

This time the cat meows back and bats his paw like he wants Asami back in front of his face with more kisses. Which he does. Soon the cat nudges against him and nuzzling him affectionately.

“Kitten, don’t you want food.” That gets the cat's attention, and he perks out of bed. But he bats both his paws up at Asami wanting to get carried. “Oh, no. You’re gonna want to be carried around all day, aren’t you.” Asami pretends to grumble, but really, he is happy to take the cat to the kitchen.

“Akihito, we are going to a spa today. Would you like that?” The kitten, which is balanced against his chest, tilts his head in confusion. “I told you I would take you to hot springs, yes. Do you remember? We can go, and it’ll just be you and me. We can just relax for a few days, hm? How does that sound.”

Green eyes sparkled with excitement, “MEOW.”

That seemed like a resounding, yes.

While they are making breakfast/lunch, Kirishima and Suoh arrive. They are here to make preparations for the two to leave for Kyoto. Packing for both of them, while also updating Asami on some business things.

They were only there for a few more hours before they all took a bag and headed down to the elevator. Kyoto was only a quick trip on the jet. They’d get there before Akihito even transformed.

Asami didn't often go on Hot Springs trips, but he owned a Ryokan up in the mountains outside of Kyot that would be perfect for the two and a half-day trip. He could dismiss most of the staff for two days. It was remote. His security force could guard it with ease. And it would be a place where Akihito could roam around without fear of exposure.

When they arrived, Akihito and Asami went up to suites on one end of the hotel. While Kirishima and Suoh would have the other end. The two trusted men were also getting a bit of a break since practically an army of men was already handling security.

Asami did some work in his room since he wanted to give Akihito his undivided attention once he transformed in a few hours. The cat had spent the whole day very close to Asami, although not as he had before, where he couldn’t seem to be more than two feet away. But he stayed within view for the rest of the day.

Asami worked on their suite's balcony so they could both get some mountain air. There were lots of trees and gardens surrounding them, and the view was very nice. As he worked, a few birds came along and seemed too distracted Akihito.

Birds were nothing new to the kitten, but they were harshly seen while living in the city.

Two Japanese wagtails, a black and white little bird, were in trees nearby, moving around from tree to tree and chirping lightly to one another. Perhaps they thought they could get some food, which was left out.

Akihito watched them keenly as they hopped from branch to branch. He lay low by the railing like he was on the prowl, watching them.

“What is it Kitten, you see those birds.”

Akihito seems to be only half-listening as his attention is squarely on the birds, his eyes wide with curiosity. And his neck craned all the way and his head bobbing around following where they were going. While he was prowling around on the rampart of the balcony, his butt even wiggled as if he was getting ready to pounce.

The wagtails decided to move on before he could do anything. His body relaxes, and he goes back to idling and sitting across from Asami on another chair.

Eventually, the sun went down, and the cream-colored cat turned into the cream-colored boy. The boy immediately sits on Asami’s lap right after transforming, demanding attention.

“Ahhssssammmiiiii, Let's go explore!!! Let's go up the mountain! I want to go to the garden down there! Do you think there are fishies down there? I can see fishies down there! I bet I can get TWO fishies down there for us to eat for dinner. And then let's go to the hot springs I wanna-”

Asami silenced the boy's ramblings with a kiss on the lips. He wrapped his arms around his bare back and pulled him to his chest. When he releases the boy, he seems to be a little angry.

“I was talking.” He says, and his cheeks poof.

“And I wanted to kiss you.” Asami pulls him into another kiss. “We can do all that stuff tomorrow, I promise. But why don’t we get dressed, kitten? I think a yukata is laid out for you in your room. We’re having dinner a little early.”

“Dinner!” His ears perk up in interest at the mention of food, and he scrambles out of Asami’s arms and rushes back inside. Asami watches as his little creamy ass flies inside.

He follows him slowly inside as he’ll need assistance putting on the yukata. But by the time he gets inside, the boy is already practically tangled up in his yukata. A grey and navy yukata had been set out for Asami, while a white and green one for Akihito.

Akihito had already started putting on the layers. However, his tail was still wrapped underneath it, and not sticking out of the hole made for it. It was also tied far too loose on his skinny frame, and he's not doing the proper way to tighten it. It looks more like he had thrown on a bathrobe than a Yukata.

“Kitty, kitty. No, no. Let me do it.” Asami chuckles taking the reins.

While he’s helping him undo the yukata, Asami can’t help but take an eye full of lanky milky legs sticking out from the slits.

_Hmmm….maybe we can be a little late for dinner._

________________________________

They ended up being _only_ 10 minutes late. Akihito bolted out in front of Asami, practically skipping to the dining room in the center building since he had been hungry.

It was good to see. Asami thought. The prospect of food was clearly more important to Akihito than anxiously staying close to Asami all-day - progress at least on that front.

Akihito rushed to the dining hall, his face still lovely and flushed from earlier. When he arrives, he had expected the food to be set out on the table, and his shoulders slump when it is not.

But Kirishima and Suoh, both in black and white yukata’s, were awaiting them. Both went up to Akihito and bowed.

“Akihito-san.” Suoh started off sheepishly. “We just wanted to let you know that Kirishima and I were very worried when you got taken. And we’re pleased to have you back with us, safe and sound.”

Kirishima added, “We are glad you were not hurt, Akihito-san. And we won’t let that happen again. Please forgive us for our mistakes.”

Akihito seemed a little at a loss for words in way of response to the two, and his ears flopped to the side. He flushed a little, surprised by their earnest words and the formality at which they apologized.

Asami appeared behind him, holding him supportingly from the back, signaling for him to respond in some way.

“You guys!! Y-your gonna make me cry,” Akihito rushed over to the two bearing his arms for hugs.

He barreled into Kirishima first, to which caught the glasses secretary off guard. He grunted as the boy practically toppled him over. The boy wrapped his hands around Kirishima’s back and nuzzled him wildly. He somehow was able to grab Suoh around the neck too and pull him to a group hug. Both the guards were totally taken aback and were a little blundering in their response.

“You guys are like FAMILY to me. My best friends! You don’t need to apologize!” Akihito was getting riled up and teary-eyed.

Kirishima cleared his throat. “Ah-hem. Uh. Well yes. Thank you, Akihito-san.” And he patted his head lightly, while he was still getting smothered by Akihito’s affection.

“Thank you, Akihito-san,” Suoh replied just as sheepishly.

Asami behind them leaned against the doorway. He rubs his lips, fighting back a chuckle. “Akihito, don't smother them too much. Let's have dinner now.”

Akihito let go of them, a soft smile on his face, “What's for dinner? I am so hungry.” And he spun around and headed towards a dining room table and plopped himself down on one of the mats on the ground.

The three others followed suit until they were all sitting around the table.

“Well, actually, Akihito. We have something special planned.” Asami said, sitting down next to him. He saw how Akihito’s eyes gleamed, as he probably imagined some kind of feast of all his favorites was prepared. But Asami turned and looked to Kirishima to continue.

“Akihito-san..” Kirishima started. “We thought now would be a good time to teach you some traditional Japanese etiquette.”

Akihito whole demure changed, shoulder slumped, mouth gaped, ears slumped into a sad deflatedness.

"Huh?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also translation for raws are OUT 😭😭
> 
> I am soooo suspicious of Maxim (even tho he is a cat dad- it is well documented that Asami's love there kittens).


	88. Chapter 88

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, ❤️ lovelies. Back at it again with an update.
> 
> enjoy

He groans at first.

“I am not gonna be good at etiquette! I-I thought we were gonna eat!” He whines. He looks over to Asami, hoping perhaps some puppy dog eye will get him out of this pickle he finds himself in. He pouts and makes whining noises. His ears turned down gloomily. 

Asami only looks on amused. “We’re still going to eat Akihito. We’re just gonna learn some basic etiquette. And you know why? Fei Long told us that if you want to control your transformation, you must learn what it is to be a human. And what better way than to teach you some human etiquette.”

Akihito suddenly perks up at that news, “I can control my transformation if I learn etiquette?”

“Well…It certainly could be a step in the right direction. I see no harm in doing something so simple.” Asami continues.

Kirishima adds in as well. “We see it like this, Akihito. Manners in human society is often what is said to be what separates humans from animals. We’re not excepting you to be perfect on your first try. This will be a demonstration more than anything else.But perhaps it can be something you at least think about before you- snarf down a plate of food.”

“Even though we all find that very charming…” Asami teasingly adds.

Akihito takes a deep breath. “…..Allllrrriiigghhttt,” he relents, and his shoulder slump.

“Good,” Kirishima starts. “Now, the best way to learn is to watch. Let's start with something basic. Posture.” Kirishima slightly repositions himself to the _seize_ (kneeling) position, and Suoh next to him joined along, and so does Asami. “Look at how Asami sits, with his hands on his thighs and his knees slightly parted. His back is straight. Now you try.”

Akihito looks at Asami up and down, then he eagerly moves and repositions himself. As he sits down, he’s quite pleased with himself, and he pushes his back up to straighten out and mimic Asami.

“Good. Now the trouble is that position isn’t easy to keep up without practice. Your legs will start to get sore soon since your not used to it. But it's okay. We’ll try for as long as you can.” Asami starts.

Akihito nods a soft smile on his lips, as he is starting to think perhaps etiquette is not so bad.

__________________________

They first decide the best course of action is to feed him. A hungry and pouty Akihito won’t do them much good. Plus, the food was already prepared for them by the chief of the Ryokan, who was sequestered to the kitchen and Suoh serve all the food.

But they were at least going to teach him some table manners while he ate. They let him sit normally, cross-legged under the table as the first course is placed on the table in front of him.

His eyes grew tenfold, looking at the assortment of food in front of him.

It wasn’t exactly like his normal pre-made dishes. Nor was it like the food he had eaten while he was in Hong Kong in the Fei Longs food court. Although those were all high quality and specially prepared. But this - This was far fancier. The restaurant at Asami’s Ryokan was a Three-star Michelin restaurant, so each plate was meticulously and beautifully displayed.

However, the boy soon realized what the plates had in common. As beautiful as each side dish placed in front of him was, the portions were small.

“Huh. This is so small.” He looked up to complain to Asami.

Asami laughingly scoffed. “This is only the first course, Akihito. No need to pout. There’ll be plenty to eat.”

Akihito knew enough not to pick up his chopsticks and chow down right away, as he was following everyone’s lead. Suoh then arrived with a basket of rolled up steaming towels, and they washed there hands with them.

He knew the next thing to do, which was to clap his hands together. “Itadakimasu!” He said jollily, and the others followed suit in saying it, although in a more polite manner.

He picked up his chapstick, ready to chow down when Asami stops him.

“Let's try eating a little slowly, Akihito.” Asami points out, a playful, teasing smile crosses his lips, and he picks up one of the small side dishes and holds it in his palm. “Like this.” He demonstrates.

Akihito puffs his cheek, realizing Asami was teasing him. But all the same, once his annoyance is subsided, he picks up the bowl and follows suit. Akihito knew enough, as Kiko had tried similar tactics on him in the past, although they had never stuck.

What was it Kiko used to say? Well, rather, she used to yell from across the room.

_“SMALL BITES, AKIHITO,”_

Or she’d say, “ _No choking, Akihito_.”

Although she always said that while the boy was _already_ in the midst of choking- because food had gone down the wrong pipe, usually because he hadn't taken those small bites, she always insisted on.

“Excellent Akihito, see, I knew Kiko must have taught you some manners.” Kirishima points out after they've had the first course and all had gone smoothly, they move on to the next one.

Akihito turns to look smugly at Asami as if he was a schoolboy and the teacher had complimented him. And as soon as Kirishima looks away- Akihito sticks out a pink little tongue at Asami.

To which the older man just playfully rolls his eyes and goes back to his eating.

As the etiquette lesson continues, they only observe him and remind him to chew on his food and go slower. Or else they’d tell him to straighten out, but he was actually surprisingly very well behaved and doing everything he ought to be doing- for once.

They allowed him to slurp on his miso soup since that was technically allowed.

They didn’t allow him to talk with his mouth full.

“Wat kenda fwish is twis?” He asked at one point while he was chewing happily, and when he turned to look at everyone, they were all staring.

“Maybe you should wait until after you finish chewing to ask your question, Akihito.” Asami teased. He had been the one with the snidest comments the entire time.

Akihito puffs his cheeks in annoyance, but he finishes chewing and tries again with his question.

“What kind of fish is this?” He tries again.

“Its scallops Akihito, its shellfish,” Asami explains.

After he’s had his fair share of dinner, they decided to change gears. They’ll have him watch a Japanese tea ceremony, they wouldn't bother with him actually _performing_ the tea ceremony as that seemed like an impossible task. Kirishima volunteers to demonstrate. 

Kirishima sits in a separate area of the _tatami_ floor room they are in, he sits where there is a sunken hearth used to heat the water for the tea.

The secretary carefully describes each utensil before he starts. It’s part of the ceremony to take them out, line them up, and carefully and ritualistically clean each piece.

The tea bowl is obviously the most centerpiece, a simple piece of ceramic stoneware that is hand thrown. Then there is the small container where the vibrant green matcha powder is stored. The bamboo scoop, which is used to scoop up the powder, then the tea whisk to whisk it together.

Once he finishes that little presentation, Kirishima moves on to the actual process of making the tea very carefully.

But meanwhile, while this detailed presentation is going on. Akihito’s leg is cramping up.

They all went back to sitting in the _seize_ position when Kirishima started, as that was how you sit during a tea ceremony. But now, his legs feel like pins and needles since he’s been holding the sitting position for too long, and they are starting to cramp up.

He’s in a pickle now. He doesn’t want to be rude to Kirishima, whose working very diligently on his tea. So he tries to stick it out a little while longer, but it's starting actually to cramp and sting.

He somehow keeps it together until the tea is finished being made, and the tea is about to be served in front of the three of them to drink.

But Akihito can’t take it anymore. He moves slightly to take the weight off his legs-

_Uh. Oh._

Fail. He tips over, partially caught up in the robes of his Yukata. His legs had lost all feeling in them and they weren’t able to hold his weight. He tips over on his side, landing on his shoulder on the tatami floor, interrupting Kirishima’s delicate presentation.

“Ow.” He says flatly when he lands.

“Are you alright,” Asami, who was sitting next to him leans over him.

“I can’t feel my legs…” Akihito moans.

“You silly boy, we told you it's hard to sit like that for too long.” Asami thoughtlessly picks up one of his delicate little ankles and helps him stretch his legs out, while he's still sprawled out on the ground.

“Ouch. Ah! I-I was trying to be polite…I’m sorry Kirishima…” His voice trails off, and he blushes out of embarrassment.

“We’ll call it a day, hmm? You can soak in the onsen for your cramped up legs.” Asami continues, his hands draw up his legs to massage Akihito’s calf. He nods to Kirishima and Suoh, who both get up to depart, realizing their boss signals for them to leave.

As they depart, they both bow and wish them goodnight before closing the doors of the dining room.

“Goodnight,” the boy calls after them as they depart. He looks up at Asami, who’s still hovering over him. “Why did you send them away so quickly?” Akihito asks.

He gets an answer in way of Asami’s hands reach under this yukata, he pulls some of the fabric away and makes a slit in Yukata. Showing off a bit of the boy's cream legs underneath that peek out all the way to the top. His hands, which had been carefully massaging Akihito’s calf and his lower leg trace upward, so that he's kneading and messaging the boy's thighs.

His legs are still cramped up, so he is diligent in rubbing and kneading his thigh. His hands, though, get higher and higher up. His fingers start to feather his inner thigh playfully and teasingly.

“mmmhhh, Asami…” Akihito drawls, and his face goes bright red.

Asami leans down, he hooks an arm under the cat's knee and brings it upward. He plants a kiss on one of his inner thighs. And then brings the knee up even higher, stretching his legs and going down in-between the two thighs. He bits down on a piece of soft skin, being sure to leave a nice red mark on him before moving upward, trailing kisses as he goes.

Asami’s light teasing, kisses, and licking on his inner thigh has already roused Akihito up. By the time the older man reaches up to Akihito’s printed boxer shorts, there’s already a small tent forming. His hand only lightly brushes against the bulge, to which there’s a sharp reaction from Akihito- a small whine, and his body jolts at the contact.

Satisfied with the response, Asami continues. He leans down and firstly and softly kisses the bulge through the thin piece of cloth. He nips at the piece of fabric, and sweeps his tongue on it, and brings the bulge into his mouth.

“Ohh…” Akihito whines, and his hands find themselves gently brushing through dark strands.

Asami doesn’t let up until the fabrics become wet, and he can taste the slightly sweet tasting pre-cum on his lips. He pulls away suddenly, and the boy whines at the sudden lack of friction.

But then the boy is suddenly hoisted up off the floor and lugged across Asami’s shoulder. “Let me take you to the onsen first,”

Akihito whines, but he’s not in any situation to fully be able to complain, being lugged around like he were a sack of potatoes. The tent in his shorts is needy, and he wants to be dealt with. But the two have to go through a maze of rooms to get to the partially outdoor onsen.

Mercifully Asami is quick in getting there.

“Here we are.” He says when they get to the Onsen room. He drops the boy down to his feet before capturing the boy's lips.

Asami swiftly removes whatever remains of the boy's Yukata and the printed boxers that he loves so much. They both plopping to the tile floor without much ceremony.

Akihito hooks his arms around the man's neck when he’s freed of his clothing, and the older man is pulled into the deeper kiss. It doesn’t stop Asami from working on getting his own Yukuta off, and it’s just as quickly dropping to the tile floor. He gathers the boy up so skinny legs can wrap around his hips. He holds Akihito upright from the back and cheekily cups the boy's lovely perk little ass as he lifts him up.

He walks them both to the water's edge and steps down a few steps before sinking into the warm water. He lowers them into the water until they’re sitting on one of the side ledges. He pulls away from the boy's lips once they are settled, and he sweeps down to his neck and kisses and bites.

As he trails down lower, kissing his shoulder and chest, Asami lifts Akihito slightly. So that he’s sitting on his knees and straddling Asami, and from there, Asami's mouth reach the boy's chest.

His hands scrape by rosy nipples, and he pinches them both at first and twists them up in his hand. A wanton moan escapes Akihito’s mouth, and Asami continues by licking one of the perky rosebuds in front of him, capturing it in his mouth, and then rolling his tongue over and over it. 

Another hand sweeps down to the boys twitching cock, and he pumps it lightly until the juices flowing from it again. The pre-cum lubricates his fingers so he can start to press against his back hole.

Akihito jolts when the first finger presses inside of him, and he yelps. Before he can adjust, the second finger is added just as swiftly, and Asami plunges them both deep.

Akihito rolls his head back, while Asami pumps into him. He slumps into Asami, struggling to keep himself upward. Akihito moans again and leans down to reach for Asami’s lips.

Heat pools in his stomach as Asami’s slicked up fingers stretch and fill his hole. He’s being put on the edge, with his even-tempered pumping. Asami deliberately avoids, but just barely brushing against his prostate, the goal is to prepare him and stretch him. To put him on simmering but not to boil him over.

It feels like a fog is on Akihito, “…Asami,” he whines.

Asami looks up at him, “Just a little more, darling. I’ll make it better. Come here,” The boy leans down, and they lock lips.

Once he’s satisfied that the stretch is enough, Asami slides out his fingers. Asami stretches the boy's legs even further apart, hooking his hand under Akihito's knee to keep his leg up. And then he lowers Akihito down on to his cock, guiding his member into his plucked hole.

Akihito's arms wrap around his shoulder and hold on to his back for support, as tears sting in his eyes from the pain.“Ahhh!”

“Thats it,” Asami says, and he plunges the member inch by inch into the twitching boy. “Take it all the way…to the hilt-“ And he decisively pushes it all the way in. “Good boy, good boy.” He whisperingly praises. And he kisses and licks away the tears forming on the boy's cheeks.

__________________________________

** OMAKE: **

Akihito’s dead to the world, asleep as could be. He’s cozy and curled up on the futon in their room in the Ryokan.

Asami hates to leave him like this, especially while the futon is warm and comfortable, and still smells like the coupling. And when there’s also that extra worry that he might miss the boy having a nightmare as he had one this morning.

But he must, so he carefully moves the boy off his chest, which he had been drooling on. And he ever so stealthily crawls out of the futon and stands up. He doesn’t bother to get fully dressed again, and just throws on a bathrobe and some slippers. He slips out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him and he heads into the sitting area of his room.

The ryokan is a very traditional style with a minimal amount of modern furniture in it. The sliding doors lead out to a wrap-around balcony thats actually enclosed around glass. In the balcony area is a modern wooden seating area.

He sits down and takes out a box of Dunhill and lights up when he hears a rap on the door.

“Come in.” He says expecting it.

Suoh and Kirishima enter, greeting him as they step in.

Kirishima takes the seat across from Asami, and Suoh stays standing.

“We already have some men doing an audit of all the businesses trying to find any irregularities. With the information we got from Fei Long, we could narrow it down to a time frame. It’s gonna take a while still, but we have trusted men on it right now. We might have something more to report to you by the time we get back to Tokyo.”

“I didn’t think the traitor would be so easy to find…especially since they’ve been keeping their movements a secret for a long time. In which case, I think they’ve learned to clean up and leave no paper trail. I doubt our records will show anything off. Our focus needs to be on shipments, we should cross-reference all our most recent shipments with the ships manifest. I bet we’ll find some mysterious shipments under the name of some shell company, right next to ours. Then we go from there. There's no way they did this on their own. They're getting help from outside sources, and we need to find out who's bankrolling it.” Asami explains.

Kirishima nods in agreement,

Asami continues. “I want a lead on this traitor by the time we get back to Tokyo. I want whoever they are…They’re trafficking on my turf…They use my resources against me. I _won’t_ tolerate it. Fei Long said there were cat traffickers ring in Japan and I’m _going_ to send a message loud and clear, that I am coming for them."

______________________________________

**OMAKE:**

“I don’t understand…I didn’t hear anything about him going to Hong Kong.”

“Thats because you don’t talk to the right people. My dear-“

“-Don’t touch me, you idiot.”

“Such a feisty kitty, aren’t you?…haha.”

“Just go back to telling me about what Asami was doing in Hong Kong,”

“Fine. All I know is he was in Hong Kong not once. But twice. And both times _Fei Long_ was involved in it.”

“ _Fei Long?_ Wait a minute, but he doesn’t know about-“

“I know. But listen, I did some more digging…you’re not gonna like what I found out.”

“…”

“Do you want me to tell yo-“

“Just fuckin tell me, you idiot!”

“Alright, alright. In the last few months, Asami has been seen going to work at Sion corporation with a pet cat. A young-looking kitten.”

“No. I-it can’t be.”

“It must be…”

“Where in the world did he get a -“

“There's one more thing that might interest you. This cat. It's a Persian. Cream-colored.”

There's a pause, as the fact causes the other man to snap, and his features contort in anger.

“...Did you say FUCKING CREAM COLORED?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who could it possibly be 😜


	89. Chapter 89

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Hello Hello! ❤️❤️
> 
> For one, in case anyone missed this announcement from earlier this week. Basically, the cat got out of the bag (PUNS THAT WILL NEVER GET OLD 🤣) Hi, I am also the fic writer Delphne, who writes two other finder fics called Street Rat and Black and White 😅
> 
> Anyway. I am kinda excited that everyone knows now, cause now i don't have to be secretive about why my updates take so long- its cause i am working on something else 🤣 
> 
> Just wanted to also say thank you to everyone for the support, I was literally blown away recently by all the nice comments and messages of support I received. it really makes my day and makes me want to keep working harder to put out content that people enjoy. So thank you 🥺🥺 🥰🥰
> 
> Enjoy!! ❤️

The following day went by very quickly.

It started with Asami getting dragged around the mountain, even though it was Akihito in the harness and leash. He was glad he had actually worn some suitable clothing to the hike instead of his usual three-piece suit, as Akihito sometimes wanted to go off the beaten path.

Was it to chase squirrels or for some bird he saw?

It didn’t matter. Cause he would just occasion tug on his leash and fly down a hill or jump up a cliff, dragging Asami along with him.

Akihito sure was energetic, running around the mountain all morning. At one point during their hike, they came across a young girl walking her dog. Akihito, of course, rushed over to see them. Curious as ever. He started sniffing the dog and looking over the girl.

The young girl was immediately very smitten with Asami, and who wouldn't be in his casual clothes, taking a very cute cat for a walk.

“Hi! What a cutie little cat you have there!” She said as they approached. “I don’t see a lot of people walking their cats around here. How funny.”

Asami only blankly responded with a “Thank you. He likes exploring,” he explains.

“Oh-haha. How funny!”

She looked at the cat and the dog, looking at each other giving each other the once over. And then back at Asami, whose attention was solely on the little cat. And not on her. So she pressed.

“So do you like - live around here?” 

Asami was hardly paying attention to the girl. "No." Was his blank response.

He was carefully eyeing the dog, who he thought was perhaps a little too close to the kitten. He did not like how big it was next to the little cat. The dog was sniffing Akihito, while the cat had moved on to looking at the young girl up and down.

Then the dog did what dogs do. It started sniffing Akihito’s butt. Akihito jumped, "RA!" He made a little sound in shock. He was so startled by the sudden intrusion of a wet snout at his backside. Obviously he was not to please.

First, he hissed at the much larger dog, and start to whack the dog away with a swatting paw.

Asami swiftly picked him up, while Akihito started hissing angrily at the dog. Asami didn’t want a fight or something to break out, so he just blankly told the girl; “I’ll be leaving first,”

And once they were alone again and out of earshot, “I understand you didn’t like that dirty dog touching you. BUT. Your only a tiny kitten in this form. Be careful around those dogs, Kitten. You could really hurt yourself,”

Akihito replied with vaguely annoyed sounding meows.

Asami chuckles, know the kitten was be grumbling. If he was in his human form, he could imagine his cheeks would be all puffy in a little scowl.

"How about we get back, eh?”

They head back down the mountain after their bit of sightseeing and garden tours. A nice lunch is prepared for them, and for the rest of the day, Asami does some light work that needs to be done. He decides to let the cat do something different today. He'll let him roam around the Ryokan- unsupervised. As long as he doesn’t leave the grounds.

He seems to like the sound of the idea and he bolts off to go explore on his own, leaving Asami to his work.

Usually, Asami didn't like him exploring on his own since he tends to get into trouble. But since no one else was here, and the area was secured. He’ll let the cat have a bit of freedom to do what he pleases.

Akihito does keep his promise and doesn’t leave the grounds. He hangs out in the garden for a little bit and watches intently the fishes swimming around in the pool. He thinks perhaps he should grab another fish for Asami as he had in the past and present it to him. The koi fish here at the Ryokan are even larger than those little ones that were in the lobby of Sion.

But there are more interesting things around the garden, including those two Japanese Wagtails he had seen earlier in their trip.

He watches them keenly while he lies down, craning his neck to look up at them in the tree. He follows them while they hop around to different nearby trees. Occasionally the two birds squawk at each other. Akihito’s like a little hunter following them around, stalking his prey intently.

The birds will make a much better trophy to give to Asami. He thinks to himself. They were definitely more interesting to Akihito than the koi fish, and an extra challenge too. A real display of what a good little hunter he is.

So he observes them closely, watching to see how and when he can catch one of them in his little paws.

The birds are perched on a beautiful and large Japanese pine tree thats in the garden. It's about a 24-foot tree. The two birds are up pretty high. But since the pine tree has many branches, even ones that are very low to the ground Akihito believes he can traverse up the tree slowly to catch them.

He rushes up the truck, using his claws to cling to the trunk and then push off it to get to a branch. Once he lands, he double-checks to make sure the birds haven’t noticed him. He waits patiently until he knows it's safe to move again. He continues his climb, hopping from one branch to another. Then waiting patiently until it's safe for him to continue moving upwards.

He is so in the zone. In his own little world, where all he is thinking about is his pray in front of him. That he doesn’t realize how high he is actually climbing.

When Akihito finally reaches a branch that is just directly below where the two birds are.He patiently waits for his opportunity when they have lowered their guard.

He jumps. Paws forward, ready to grasp at the birds. A fervent look in his eyes as he pounces on his pray-

But they fly away at the last second squawking and chirping at him. 

He growls. Annoyed at his loss, he watches until they fly off into the distance. All his hard work for naught.

But sometimes these things happen. He sighs. Birds are hard to catch, he relents. Perhaps he’ll have to go after a squirrel or something easier. He moves to climb down from his high perch and he looks down.

A sudden feeling of wooziness stops him.

It all too abruptly feels much higher than he had originally thought it would be. His skin crawls as he looks down, and he forces himself to look up so that sudden feeling of his stomach-churning stops. 

Climbing up had been easy. But now he wasn’t so sure about climbing down….

_________________________________________

Asami was sitting in the dining room they had eaten in last night. He's doing some work with Kirishima and Suoh, at the low antique table. It's not their usual set up obviously, but it's quite comfortable and close-knit to be sitting on the floor. 

They are still discussing their investigation on this traitor they have been looking for. They are narrowing down a few facts to try to find out where there were breaches of security procedures. Asami is now convinced that whoever this traitor was they likely had outside help, OR this group of traffickers had maybe even infiltrated Asami’s business on many different levels.

It’s starting to feel like a much bigger problem than just one dirty traitor. But rather, more like a conspiracy.

Asami had obviously never been aware of the existence of cat shifters until meeting Akihito. But some of the data and intelligence he had received from Fei Long suggested that the trafficking of cat shifters has been going on for decades in Japan.

Obviously, it was done in such secrecy that not even he knew about it. And it seemed likely that as he rose in power in Tokyo’s underground world, this mysterious group rode in on his coattails too. They infiltrated his organization and worked on the side to ensure their trafficking could continue on in secret.

The fact that it seemed much deeper than originally thought meant Asami had to tread very lightly. He didn’t want whoever was responsible to turn tail and run and potentially just go deeper into hiding. 

The three worked hard, going through financial records, data logs, and shipment manifest to find any irregularity.

The process had been fruitful but a slow effort. And only showed how potential large this secret operation was.

But as they were working away, they started to hear something off in the distance. A squawking almost.

The three exchanged a confused look. There were hearing something off in the distance, some high-pitched noise that they couldn’t make out. It sticks out in the comparable silence they had been sitting in, and it seems like it's slowly getting louder and louder.

It’s like they all have the exact same thought at the same time, and the proverbial light bulb goes off.

“Akihito!” They say almost in unison. 

Who else could it be?

They quickly stand up from the table and shuffle all together out the door to the outside courtyard. “This way, I think,” Kirishima says as they exit the room and head towards the sound.

As they get closer, the little screeching cry they hear gets closer and closer.

“Akihito!” Asami calls, looking around as they reach the garden. His mind is racing with worry, thinking he shouldn’t have let Akihito roam around the Ryokan by himself.

They hear soft, sad-sounding meows in response, and they look up.

The kitten stuck in a tree.

“Meow!” Akihito cries. They finally see him perched apprehensively on a high branch. He looks down on them cries again, “Meow!”

“Akihito! How did you get up there?” Asami says, going towards the base of the tree and looking up at him. He signs a bit in relief that it's nothing that serious. In fact, the situation is oddly comical.

“Meow! Meow!” Again his meows are little desperate screeches.

He’s not up _that_ high, perhaps only about 12 feet high or so. But he looks so paralyzed with fear, his hair is standing on ends and his face downcast and ears low as he makes little heartwrenching little whining sounds.

“It’s alright, Akihito. We’re here to help you get down.” Asami looks around at the branches, “Do you think you can jump down just to that lower branch?” He asks, just gauging if it was possible for him to climb down on his own, one step at a time if he had some encouragement.

Akihito looks to the other branch he had just been perched on, where he had watched the birds from. It wasn’t that big of a jump, in fact, a manageable jump that he would usually make any other day of the week. But for some reason, all he could see was the ground below, and all he could think was if he misstepped, he’s fall to the ground- and splat. Be a cat pancake.

He whines in response. He doesn’t think he can make the jump.

“Okay. Okay. Don’t worry. We’ll find another way to get you down.” Asami says, looking around at Suoh and Kirishima.

“Should I go look inside for something like a ladder,” Kirishima respond.

But then Suoh makes a suggestion. “I don't know if we'll find a ladder around here, they might keep things like that in storage for which we’ll probably have to get a key…He’s not that high up there. Honestly, I think it will be easier just to convince him to jump down, and we’ll catch him.

Suoh had a point. It was true that Akihito wasn’t that high up there, and with the three of them, they were bound to catch the little cat.

“Alright. Let's try that.” Asami starts. He looks back up at the cat and reaches his arms up as if ready to catch up. “Akihito, can you jump here to me. I’ll catch you, dear!”

Akihito whines.

“It's okay, kitty. I got you. Just jump.”

“Meow! Meow!” He still sounds very sad.

“Come on, kitty! Just jump, your okay, we got you!” Asami continues to urge him on.

And that was how the three men found themselves standing underneath the tree, trying to encourage the cat to jump.

“Here, Kitty!”, “We’ll get you kitten,” “Come along! Come on!” “Come on, Akihito!” The three men called after the cat. Lifting their hands up as if ready to catch the cat if he jumped down.

Akihito paces up and down the branch, anxious and carefully looking down at them. He meows some more at them. And looks as if he is preparing himself to jump and on the verge of doing it. But then he chickens out and meows sadly again.

“You can do it, kitty! Come on. Come down to me,” Asami says, and he nods at the cat.

Akihito prepares to jump again, leaning against the branch trying to talk himself into doing it. Then he just-

Jump!

Akihito free falls down, and Asami catches him in his hands. "There!" Asami grins. "Good boy! Good boy!” He praises. He presses the against his face to feather kisses all over his face and ears. "That wasn't so bad right, kitten."

Suoh and Kirishima sigh in relief and they slump their shoulder to relax.

“Don’t do that again, you silly kitty.” Asami continues, carefully pointing a finger at him.

Akihito grips Asami, purring loudly and licking his face, and then rubbing himself against him.

Asami turns on his heels, and they head back inside. He can feel the cat still shaking a bit in his arms. So he takes him back to the restaurant so he can sit in his lap and relax for a moment.

“What were you doing up in the tree kitty, you could have really hurt yourself. You have to be more careful.” Asami admonishes the cat as they walk back inside, and he pets him down his back.

They settle back indoors, and Akihito stays in Asami's lap, receiving lots of pets and attention for the little scare he went through. Asami and the rest continue to comb through the data.

And not twenty minutes after settling in, Asami receives a phone call- through his private line.

Not many people had his private phone number, and most business calls went through Kirishima first. Asami exchanges a look with Suoh and Kirishima while it rings before digging into his pocket to grab his phone.

It’s an unknown number. Again Asami exchanges another look with Suoh and Kirishima, although he is careful not to arouse any concern from Akihito, who’s still sitting pretty in his lap.

“Hello.” He answers flatly.

“So I know we started off on a rough patch, but I am hoping this might make amend for some…mistakes.” The voice on the other side of the line starts off right away.

Asami rolls his eyes. “Fei Long, how did you get this number?”

Akihito suddenly perks up a bit in his lap.

“Oh, come now, Asami, we both have pretty good ways of getting intel when we want it. I had quite a lot to discuss with you. You sent over quite a lot of data to shift through since now you're worried it's more than just _one_ traitor you're dealing with.”

“And did you find anything worth sharing?” Asami questions.

“Well, yes, of course, thats why I am calling.” Fei Long seems to be teasing Asami. “I didn’t just call to find out how Akihito is. Although I would love to know if he’s alright.”

“He’s fine.” _No thanks to you_. He almost added but thought it best not to step on any toes. “What do you have?”

“You said something about bringing a team of us into Tokyo to help, did you not? To help squash these guys.” Fei Long continues.

They had agreed to that since it would be best if fewer people found out about shifters. “Yes. We agreed to that. Are you saying you found something substantial enough to warrant a team being sent in?” Asami asks.

“I am saying we found out about another deal taking place. Let's raid it.” Fei Long follows up.

Asami doesn’t answer right away. He looks down at Akihito. The cat is staring at him curiously, and he picks up the cat and passes him to Suoh. So he can stand up from the table, and walk a few steps away and talk more privately with Fei Long.

“What did you hear?” He asks after a long pause.

“I heard they have a new shipment already, and they want to sell. It seems like they're doing a secret auction in Tokyo. Supposed to be a black-tie event even. Just my kind of party to crash, frankly.”

“Where is it happening?”

“Hmpft. Funny, you should say. You may have heard of it… Club Dracaena”


	90. Chapter 90

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't believe that the last time i updated this was a month ago!!! I am really THAT behind! I feel like that's the longest I've gone without updating this particular fic. But I think I just needed a little break considering how long Crown of Violets is. I was trying to get back on schedule- and then of course I got my period yesterday. and so that just killed all motivation to write anything 😭😭😭
> 
> Sorry this is a short one but I am trying to get back on schedule!

**Back on the Cruise ship: After Aki and Asami have left:**

Mikhail wakes up groggy and sleepy, in a place he doesn’t recognize. It takes him a moment to readjust and remember that he had been on the cruise ship kidnapping kittens. He jolts upwards, suddenly remembering that he had seen something very odd. But when he turns, he sees the Chinese beauty, Fei Long, lying in bed next to him.

The man is lying on his stomach, resting his head on his arms above him. He’s showing off his bareback, and his head is turned, observing Mikhail. His face is partially hidden behind his arm.

Mikhail laughs, relaxing his shoulder and slumping back into the mattress. “Fei! You won’t believe - I had the wildest dream!” Mikhail rolls his eyes. Fei Long must have knocked him out so hard, he was having crazy dreams where a man can turn into a cat.

“…Is that so.” Fei Long's response comes quickly but softly.

Mikhail's eyes suddenly narrow, he remembers his men and him getting collected by Fei Long's security team, but he hasn’t a clue what happened after that. Except for that little weird detail where Fei Long suddenly poofs into the ground, and a Siamese cat suddenly appears in his place. But surely that had been some dream.

“Did you knock me out?” Mikhail asks. Thinking the man must have done one of his famous kicks to knock him the heck out. Mikhail looks up into the ceiling, thinking.When Fei Long doesn’t answer right away, he turns to the man, ready to ask again. “I said did you knock me out? How did we get here?"

He turns around to see Fei Long in his half-way form. His Black cat ears peeking out from his long black hair. Fei Long moves suddenly closer to Mikhail who’s eyes flash in surprise, and he’s frozen stiff.

“And what if it wasn’t a dream? What if I am truly a cat? What would you do?”

Mikhail’s transfixed and frozen stiff. His eyes are as wide as can be, and he looks Fei Long up and down. His hand suddenly reaches up to touch Fei Long's cat ears, and they flutter a bit in his hands. But then his hands go downward to stroke Fei Long's cheek.

“Is this the secret you were hiding from me? Because this is- who you are?" Mikhail searches Fei Long's face. But then another thought occurs to him and he boils with anger. "And-and that DAMN Asami Ryuichi found out before I did?!” 

Fei Long rolls his eyes and lays back down, “Don’t make this about that guy? This was my secret that I wasn’t ready to tell anyone about.”

“Fei.” Mikhail sits up. “Is this why there was always a wall between us? Cause that's not fair. How the heck was I suppose to know you were a cat.”

Fei Long turns to him, "Your taking this better than I thought..."

* * *

“You told Mikhail?” Asami didn’t sound too pleased over the phone. However, he had seemed to be in a mood ever since Fei Long announced that Asami's own club, Club Dracaena, would be hosting a shifter auction without his knowledge. “Are you sure you can trust him with such a secret?”

“He’s already been briefed about everything. He wants in.” Fei Long explained. However, Mikhail's real reason was that he didn’t particularly like the idea of Fei Long working with Asami- Alone. But honestly, Fei Long appreciated any help he could get. “Frankly, I have no qualms about letting him in on it- my organization can use all the help it can get. And You, on the other hand, could use all the allies you can muster up given your organizations been working behind your back for god knows how long.”

Asami rolls his eyes on the other side of the line.

Fei Long did have a point, though. And he was probably more mad about it than he would let anyone know.

He turns around from the balcony and sees Suoh trying to distract Akihito with pets. But the cream-colored cat is brimming with curiosity looking and watching Asami keenly from where he stands just outside on a balcony. The cat’s probably already cued on to the fact that he’s talking to Fei Long- and Asami can already tell he’s probably not pleased. 

Asami wasn’t exactly either. But. It was true. He needed allies, and he needed to keep Akihito’s secret safe. So it was best to work with people who already knew about the existence of shifters.

“What do you suggest we do then? A raid is rather dramatic.” Asami follows up. “We don’t know enough to go in guns a blazing, as much as I may want to. Perhaps we should find out a bit more before we get too excited.”

“Do you have a better suggestion?” Fei Long replies slightly annoyed, he was used to calling the shots. 

“I do, actually…They don’t know where I stand with you. They’ve likely only heard that I have a shifter and that I’ve made contact with you. If Mikhail is working with us too...They won't expect the three of us to work together...We can have Mikhail weave them a tale.”

“What do you mean?”

“They might not believe sources coming from either me and you- if they suspect us working together. But Mikhail? He could blab about some partial truths. They would believe anything we leak if it also substantiated with what Mikhail says. We can make weave them a tale- say you kidnapped Akihito, and I had to steal a deed and kidnap your lieutenant. And we did a trade onboard your cruise ship. Mikhail can say he tried to interfere, but in the end, we made our trade. That we are - arch enemies or something. Don't you see? I could potentially position myself to these traffickers as some who’s been wronged by Fei Long.” 

“…The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Fei Long following along replies.

“Exactly. I mean we could easily use partial truths. I only recently found out about shifter. Maybe I could say I got Akihito from some kind of breeder or something. And that I want in on whatever trafficking schemes they’re involved in - just to spite you.”

“Play the double agent.” Fei Long concludes. The man rubs his chin, liking this plan.

“If we play it right, they might even openly come to me with business inquiries. I am sure they don’t like having to work in the shadows- they might be open to working with me.”

“Hmm… This could be even better, honestly. That way, we can also weed out more information about their network. Where their breeders are and who they get their supplies from. We could be the ones infiltrating their networks.” Fei Long follows up.

Asami nods. “Get Mikhail on board with this. And we can make sure all the details fit if we play it right. They might even be sending me an invitation to that auction. But..if we don’t get any bites, though. Then I say I can still crash the auction- say I found out about them and demand that they loop me in on it. So I can get back at you for kidnapping Akihito.”

“This could definitely work. I know enough so that you can do some name-dropping. You could say you got Akihito from someone you were trying to do business with. But they weren’t co-operating. You had them killed, afterward, you found they were keeping Akihito, and you kept him.”

“Exactly the devils in the details." Asami wants to wrap up the call and get back to Akihito. But they end up talking for a while longer, getting all the details right for the 'cover' Asami would have. And cranking out a few more detail like how they will contact one another. Asami plans on sending the jet off to pick Fei Long and his men up next week just as backup in case anything goes wrong and they have to just break up the auction if need be.

As they talk Asami notices it's getting later and later. The sun is low in the sky, Akihito will transform soon. 

“How's Akihito? Is he…still angry with me?” Fei Long asks wearily after they've finished up business. It occurs to Asami that Fei Long is likely looking at the same sundown as he is.

“…I don’t think he likes that I'm even talking to you.” Asami flashes a grin and looks at the kitten, who is still curiously staring at him. Asami had gone out to the balcony to take his call. But the little cat sits on the edge of his seat, not paying any attention to Suoh, who was tasked with distracting him.

“I did get the feeling he was rather territorial. I’ll bring him a peace offering the next time I see him.” Fei Long responds playfully.

“Alright. Alright. I’ll give them a week before they start trying to make contact. Then if not- next week, we crash their auction. Talk to you later, then.” Asami says. Before hanging up on the man, not waiting for a response. He didn’t want him to hear him dawdle on about Akihito.

He steps back inside, pocketing his cell phone. The cat jumps up from where he was sitting with Suoh and went to Asami’s legs wanting to be picked up. He meows at Asami- likely wanting some kind of explanation, or maybe a bit of attention. Asami scoops him up off the ground.

He’ll explain everything in more detail with Suoh and Kirishima later. But for now, he needs to dissuade the curious cat, who’s about to transform to his human form anyway. So he gives Suoh and Kirishima a little nod, letting them know he’ll take the cat upstairs to their suite.

“What is it, hmm?” Asami says to the cat as they walks up a flight of stairs. “You really hate Fei Long so much? Hmm?” Asami lightly chuckles. “Well, I am not a big fan of him either, y’know.” He drops the cat down when they get to their room.

He had timed everything perfectly so that when the cat jumps down to the ground, he’s transforming into his human form. He gracefully spins around and wraps his lanky arms around Asami’s neck and leans against the man's chest, as he often seems to do. He leans his forehead down on Asami’s chest, not looking up at the man as if he’s avoiding eye contact.

Asami continues on with their conversation, “I won’t ever forgive him for taking my kitten away.” But still, Akihito won’t lift his face, and Asami notices his cat ears are turned down. “Akihito? What's wrong?”

Akihito lifts his face finally, but Asami’s surprised to see the boy is not actually upset but rather angry. Cheeks are puffed in irritation, and his face is scrunched up an adorable little scowl. “I don’t like that guy. He’s a liar, Asami.”

Asami chuckles. “I’m sorry, darling. But I, unfortunately, have to team up with him. He’s making amends in some ways…He's helping me stop some bad people, so I have to work with him. He did promise to give you a treat the next time he sees you.”

“A Treat?” Akihito perks up momentarily distracted by the single word. His ears perk up with interest.

“A peace offering rather?” Asami corrected himself, as he didn’t know what Fei Longs plans were.

Akihito presses himself in Asami’s pec’s, “Asami? Are you…doing something dangerous?” He asks genuinely after a moment. He looks back up at Asami, eyes questioning but wide with worry.

“You don’t need to worry about that…” Asami deflects. He picks the naked boy up and carries him princess-style into the bedroom. “Look at you. You're so spoiled you want me to carry you around everywhere.” He says playfully.

Akihito totally takes the bait in getting distracted, and he puts his head against Asami’s chest. He smiles lightly. “Yes. I want to be carried around everywhere.”

“Well. It is our last night here before we go back to Tokyo. Tomorrow...you might need me to carry you everywhere…” He drops the kitten down on the futon lightly and captures his lips in a kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> Sporadic updates
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated :D


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